Spike's Dance
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: Spin-off of "Serrator's Web". Spike and his friends enjoy their end-of-year formal, while the others try to find a way to lift their spirits following Xandred's attack.
1. Chapter 1

**Legal: **I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, events, characters etc. Anything not covered by these rights should be assumed to be purely the creation of the author.

**Rating:** T – May be some adult themes.

**A/N:** Spinoff story from "Serrator's Web".

Friday had come, the end of the week, the second last of term for Spike and his friends. All the schools in Panorama City held their exams in June, so the Juniors and Seniors would be returning shortly for that, but for Spike, Vicky, Mal and Melanie, all of whom were Sophomores, and Cody and Jimmy, both of whom were Freshmen, the end of May would mean the beginning of Summer Vacation for them. Needless to say as a result, the feeling around the school was somewhat divided, between the older kids who still had their exams to look forward to in little over a week, and the younger students, for whom the classes were already starting to wind down since the teachers really didn't see much point teaching them anything that they would only forget over the summer break anyway, and wanted to spend the time with their older students.

The other thing the Panorama City schools did was split up the dances. The formal for the Freshmen and the Sophomores was held on the second-to-last Friday of term, while the Junior and Senior Prom was always held after the exam period at the beginning of July, with the graduation ceremony being held the day after. It wasn't an orthodox system, but it had worked for the people of Panorama City now for years.

Vicky was putting her stuff away in her locker at lunch time, thinking ahead to the night before them. She had already resigned herself to the situation she had managed to get herself into, being torn between Spike, the guy she had been crushing on since Christmas break, and Cody, the guy she had agreed to go to the dance with. She didn't like the fact that her lingering feelings for Spike still tormented her, but she had already made the decision. She was going with Cody, and that was the end of it.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Melanie asked her again. Vicky had to shake her head clear. She hadn't even heard her the first time.

"Sorry, I was a million miles away." Vicky told her. "What were you saying?"

"It's gym in the afternoon." Melanie reminded her. "If I know the teachers, they might be able to be convinced to take attendance, and then let us go."

"I guess that'd give us more time to get ready." Vicky conceded. "So, are you looking forward to it?"

"I didn't think I would, but I really am." Melanie answered her. "I wouldn't have bothered with it if it wasn't for Mal. He convinced me that the others will all be too concerned trying to make themselves look good to even notice me."

"Melanie, just try not to think about them." She stated. "Forget them, we can have a good time without their say so."

"Yeah, I really believe that now." Melanie continued. "A few weeks back, I'd have thought not being with them, I'd have been finished..."

"Melanie..."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything stupid." She assured her. "I just...I just really wanted you to know I'm really sorry for everything I said and did to you this year. You've all been so great to me."

Melanie was stunned as Vicky hugged her, but she found after a second or two, once the shock subsided, it actually felt really good. She returned the hug, and smiled as she held her.

"You're welcome." Vicky told her. "I don't really believe in holding grudges. Besides, you're actually a pretty cool person. You know...when you're not being a bitch."

"Yeah, thanks." Melanie chuckled in response as she heard Vicky say this. Just then, Mal and Spike arrived, with Jimmy not far behind them, checking something on his cell phone. Mal got to the lockers and smiled as he saw them there.

"So, it's gym all afternoon." Spike reminded them. "Do you think...?"

"Melanie seems to think the teachers won't mind us taking roll call and then heading out." Vicky interrupted him, pre-empting what he was about to say. Jimmy just rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, rub it in why don't you?" Jimmy asked them. "I've got double maths with Mr. Thompson, the only guy in school who takes the last two weeks seriously."

"Aw, poor you!" Vicky teased her little brother. "I'll tell you what, I'll buy you a sundae when we get to the food court."

Jimmy immediately smiled. It was amazing how quickly the promise of ice cream would change his mood. As they talked, heading for the canteen, they all looked forward to the night ahead.

Over at the Shiba House, Serena was sitting with the others in the Living Room, catching up on the events of the time she had missed. She had gone to the farm when she had needlessly endangered others to seek her revenge on Serrator, but after her time away, she was now confident that she had a new, deeper purpose in the events to come.

Everyone loved having Serena back in the house, it was an invaluable morale boost just when they needed it. Emily in particular was delighted to have her back in the house, but all of them really loved the fact that their 'fun aunt' Serena was back. Between helping them train, and taking back her training sessions with Spike, Bulk and Cody, she had helped out with the work load while they recovered, while also spending plenty of time playing board games with them, making dinners, and generally just giving them time to laugh again.

Now though, they had finally set aside some time to talk about what she wanted to know about. When she had gotten back, they had to explain the injuries, and so they had told her about the battle. Now that she was looking for more detail, they had taken some time over it, going over the event again in detail.

Serena just sat quietly, her mouth hanging open in horror. Emily was shaking like a leaf as Jayden finished recanting his tale. He had the most complete version of events, since he was the last one to go down. Serena had heard her mother talk about her own battle with Xandred before, and more than that, she had been old enough at the time to remember her mother waking up in the night, screaming for months afterwards. Given what Jayden had described, it seemed that it was, if anything even more horrific than their mother described.

"Xandred?" She whispered. "You seriously fought Xandred?"

"I think 'fought' might be glorifying it a little." Mike responded. "If we're lucky, he might have bruised a knuckle on us."

"Mike, we weren't going to talk like that anymore, remember?" Jayden chastised him for his statement. He looked back to Serena. "It was every bit as brutal as your parents described. We now know what we're up against."

Serena just grabbed Emily and pulled her across, hugging her little sister tightly. Now, more than before, she felt guilty about her behaviour regarding Serrator. She hadn't even been in the city when her baby sister had gone to face the most powerful Nighlock in existence. It was always bad enough knowing that Emily had taken on her responsibilities because of her illness, but now knowing that she had almost lost her because she was still at the farm trying to come to terms with her own baggage was too much guilt.

"Can't...breathe..." Emily complained as she tried in vain to fight Serena off. Serena let her go, allowing her to breathe.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here guys." She told them.

"You had a lot to deal with." Jayden stated. "We understand..."

"I still feel badly." She told them, looking around. "I promise you, I'm not going anywhere now. I'm going to stay and see this through to the end, no matter how tough things get."

"What about Serrator?" Mike asked her. She just breathed a sigh.

"I can't say I'm not still angry about losing Stephen." She continued. "But now I know this is about more than just me. I've already lost him, I can't lose the rest of you too. I'll keep a handle on things."

"Well, that's good to hear." Ji announced as he arrived. "Now, I think after all your hard work, a night out might be just what the doctor ordered for you all."

"Really?" Kevin asked. "Well, I'm feeling pretty tired and..."

"Now Kevin, you have all been working hard." Ji told him. "You have all come back to form admirably, and I am certain you can think of something more fun to do than sit around in the house all night."

He looked to Jayden and smiled.

"Why don't you call one of the restaurants in the city? It has been a long time since you all went out for a meal." He reminded him. "You can see if there's a movie you'd like to see afterwards."

"I don't know Ji, we're all pretty..."

Serena's words were cut off as the front door opened. They all looked up as Brenda came in.

"Ji, I hope I'm not..." Her words tailed off as she saw the others. "Late."

"So, you want us to go out for the evening for our benefit do you?" Mia teased as she saw the look on Ji's face.

"Yeah, I think I see what's happening." Mike interjected a little mischievously. He got up and gestured to the others. "Come on guys, I guess we can let them have a little privacy."

"Now, you kids behave yourselves." Jayden said to his father figure as he gathered his jacket. "Stay away from the adult channels."

"Don't stay up too late." Kevin added with a giggle as they started to file out of the house.

"And whatever you do, don't play the music too loud. We have neighbours to consider." Emily told him.

"Very amusing." Ji answered sarcastically as he saw them out. "Enjoy your evening."

With that, he closed the door behind them. He turned back into the house, where Brenda was waiting for him.

"I'm sorry about that." He told her. "I tried to get them to go earlier..."

"It's alright, really." She answered. "It's really sweet how much they care about you."

"Come on through." He beckoned her. "I take it that is the meal."

"I picked up something." She told him, setting a bag down on the table. "I hope Indian is alright for you."

"Brenda, you're here." He assured her, taking her hand softly and turning her to face him. "That is all I need."

Over at the food court, Spike was waiting with Jimmy and Vicky for the others to arrive. They had only ordered sodas, waiting for the others to arrive. Vicky in particular was starting to get a little edgy. She kept glancing to Spike, dressed up as he was for the occasion in a dark blue silk shirt and black pants, with freshly shined shoes for the dance. She had to admit that he looked very different from normal, and that she found that he looked good. She had to keep reminding herself that she had already made her decision to go with Cody.

"Hey guys." Melanie announced as she arrived. She was wearing a flowing, red gown for the evening, the one Mal had paid for. Although the others didn't know about that gesture, it meant the world to Melanie. She came over, taking a seat. She could see a couple of the guys at the Chicken Shack looking over, one of them seeming to chatter with his co-workers. She had worked there until very recently, unfortunately losing her job when she yelled at Mal. She was beginning to regret her decision to come here. Clearly they were amused to see her here.

"So, any ideas what to have?" Jimmy asked her.

"Anything that isn't fried chicken." She commented under her breath. "Trust me, I've seen enough breaded chicken legs to last a lifetime."

"Well, the pizza place looks good." Vicky suggested. Melanie smiled and nodded.

"That would be great." She agreed. "Sweetcorn and pineapple is amazing!"

"Sweetcorn and pineapple on a pizza?" Spike asked her, a little surprised to hear this combination. "Where did you come up with that?"

"Um..." Melanie stammered, trying to think of an answer. At her lowest, Mal had shown her home one night, and her mother had invited him to stay for dinner. He had ordered it on a pizza that night, explaining that there weren't many pizza combinations that were kosher that he enjoyed. As she tried it, she was surprised to find how well the ingredients complimented each other. Just then, Mal arrived. She couldn't help smiling to see him. He was dressed in a tux for the night. Vicky let out a little whistle to indicate that she was impressed. Melanie knew he probably had it in storage from his dancing, but she found herself thinking that he looked pretty good in it.

"Hey guys, we're all looking pretty good tonight." He remarked, sitting down. "Have we decided what we're having?"

"We were thinking of pizza." Jimmy told him. He just smiled.

"That sounds great." He remarked. "Sweetcorn and pineapple."

Jimmy, Vicky and Spike all just looked to each other, and then back to Mal. He just shook his head.

"Did I miss something?" He asked them.

"Nothing really." Spike assured him. "Alright, Cody texted to say he's on his way, I guess I'll just go and order."

"I'll help carry." Mal told him, going with him. Melanie just looked to Vicky and Jimmy, who were both just staring at her, and started to turn pink. She knew exactly what they were thinking. They were her friends, and she knew that they had a habit of teasing each other. While she wasn't exactly feeling completely comfortable right now, she couldn't help feeling like this was very different from the dynamic she'd have had with her old 'friends'.

"So, Sweetcorn and pineapple?" Jimmy asked her. Melanie just picked up some napkins and threw them at him.

"Shut up." She chuckled as she shifted in her seat.

Meanwhile, outside of the mall, Kieran pulled up in his truck, stopping in the drop-off zone. He had wanted to take Cody right to the dance, but his son told him that he was meeting his friends here and walking to the dance. He had a feeling that even if that wasn't the case, he'd have insisted that he drop him somewhere other than the school. Things hadn't changed that much since his own school days, no one wanted to be seen being dropped off by their parents.

Cody was fidgeting in his seat nervously, tugging at his clothing. He wasn't used to wearing anything like this, growing up in the shack in the woods with his father. He was wearing white dress trousers, and shiny brown shoes, with a red, cotton shirt. He couldn't stop fidgeting to fix his hair, or check that he hadn't missed anything when he was getting cleaned up. Kieran just looked to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll be fine." He told him reassuringly. Cody wasn't used to attending things like this. He generally gave his own school's functions a miss. Kieran knew though that it wasn't only the dance he was nervous about.

"The others should be waiting." Cody told him. Kieran just reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty, presenting it to him. Cody just looked at him a little curiously.

"But...I already have my allowance." He reminded him. Kieran just shrugged.

"It's a little extra for a special occasion." He told his son. Cody took the money and put it away quickly in his pocket.

"Look, before you go, I just want to say..."

"God Dad, this isn't the time for 'the talk' alright?" Cody asked. Kieran just laughed a little.

"No, I have no worries about that." He told him. He looked to his son, attracting his attention to look at him. "I just...would you wait a second, I want to talk to you."

Cody just looked to his father, seeing that he had something he wanted to say, something that he was obviously treating seriously. He shifted a little in his seat.

"I can't believe how much you've grown." He told him. "It seems like only yesterday I was teaching you to walk, and now you're going on your first date."

"Dad..."

"No, please, just let me say this." He continued. "I know it's been rough without your mother. I've done my best, but I know there are things that I couldn't talk to you about, things that you've had to kind of figure out for yourself."

"I know dad." Cody sighed. "Please..."

"I just wanted you to know how proud I am of you." Kieran told him. "I can't believe the young man you've grown into."

"I had a good role model." Cody answered, placing his hand on his dad's. Kieran smiled and jerked his head in the direction of the mall.

"Your friends will be waiting." He told him. "Hey, at least this time you'll be able to go through the front gate instead of over the wall."

"You know about that?" Cody asked him, realising his dad was talking about all the lunchtime visits he had made to Central to speak to Vicky and the others. Kieran just smiled.

"Who do you think you're talking to? I taught you most of those tricks remember?" He asked. "Have a good time."

With that, Cody got out of the truck and headed inside. Kieran found himself having to try hard not to shed a tear as he saw his son going. He really was growing up. He took a second to compose himself, before pulling away to head home and wait nervously for the call to pick him up, just like any other nervous father.

As Cody arrived at the food court, he made his way to the pizza counter, where Spike and Ma were just waiting for their order.

"Hey Cody, you made it." Spike stated. "Uh...I didn't know what to order you, so I just went for Hawaiian."

"That's fine." Cody responded. He looked over to where the others were waiting and waved, earning a return wave from Vicky. He looked back to them, and realised that Mal seemed to be somewhat quiet all things considered.

"So, are we all looking forward to this?" He asked.

"Yeah, it should be a great night." Spike told him. Mal on the other hand, just muttered something of a half-hearted agreement.

"Well, don't bowl us over with enthusiasm." Spike replied sarcastically. "Dude, seriously, what gives?"

"It's just...it's nothing." Mal told him. He realised they weren't going to drop it. "I had kind of a thing with my parents before I came out tonight."

"Is everything alright?" Spike asked him.

"I'd really just rather forget about it." Mal told him as their order was finally delivered. He picked up a tray, taking some of the slices with him. "Come on guys, this is meant to be a night to enjoy ourselves. I can worry about my parents another time."

"Alright, if you're sure." Spike told him. With that, they picked up their meal and headed back to the table. They were sorry to hear that Mal had a run in with his parents, but they were as determined as he was that tonight was meant to be a night to enjoy themselves. Whatever he had to deal with at home could wait.


	2. The Dance

Jayden and the others arrived at a restaurant in the centre of town a couple of hours later. Bellini's was easily the best Italian restaurant in the city, and was normally fully booked every Friday and Saturday for months in advance, but as a benefit of Ji's contacts, and the Shiba family coffers, Jayden had managed to secure them a private room. It was for the best anyway, none of them had gotten dressed up for the occasion, and the room would allow them some privacy to discuss matters that ordinarily they couldn't talk about in a pubic restaurant.

As they arrived, the head waiter smiled to see them, and came over, shaking Jayden's hand.

"Ah, it's great to see you again Jayden." He announced. Jayden made sure to give him a generous tip as they shook hands. "Come, your room is just this way."

They all followed him through into the back, where he took them to a private room, which was already set up for them. The walls were covered with prints of paintings by many of the Italian masters, and the table was set up with fine dinner ware. They all started to file around the table, finding their seats.

"Could we have a bottle of the house red, one bottle of house white, and two lemonades?" Jayden asked. The waiter just nodded.

"I'll just go and get your drink order and the menus." He told them. Mike and Emily just looked to them, a little put out.

"You're both underage remember?" He asked them.

"Sucks to be you." Mia added with a shrug as she took Kevin's hand. Mike just looked to Emily and frowned.

"A year and a half." He grumbled. "That's all it is, a year and a half."

"The law is still the law." Kevin reminded him, enjoying this little opportunity to tease Mike. "This looks like a really nice place."

"Ji and I come here pretty much ever birthday." Jayden informed them. "Believe me, this place is amazing. The food here is fantastic!"

Just then, the waiter came back with their drinks order, and a few menus. He handed them out, at which Jayden just thanked him and sent him away while they checked out the menu to make their choices. Serena just smiled as she saw them all together, having a great time. It felt like so long since she had felt this way. It was like she was back where she belonged.

"Wild boar lasagne?" Emily asked, looking to Jayden. He just smiled and nodded.

"It's really different. The meat's a lot stronger tasting than regular pork." He informed her. "It's a really great choice."

"Well, the carbonara sounds amazing to me." Antonio commented.

"What, no fish?" Jayden asked him, cocking an eyebrow. Antonio just chuckled.

"Even I'm allowed a night off once in a while." He answered, leaning over, but stopping short of kissing him as he caught sight of Serena. He instead just took his hand gently and moved back to his seat. Serena just sighed as she noticed this.

"Aright guys, it really is alright." She assured them. "I miss Stephen, but I don't expect all of you to put your lives on hold for my benefit."

"We just..."

"Believe me, I appreciate the thought, but I know you have your own lives to lead. It'll only make me feel worse if I thought you were putting things on hold just for me." She told them, before turning and pointing a warning finger at Mike and Emily. "But that is NOT carte blanche for you to start groping my baby sister in public! Just remember that!"

She settled back into her chair as they waited for the waiter to come back.

"Besides, I'll have my lessons with Spike, Bulk and Cody to keep me busy." She told them, before pulling out the octagonal power disk. "Not to mention I still have to figure out what this thing does."

Just then, the waiter came back with a check pad. Serena put the power disk away, while Jayden started to pour wine for the group.

"Are you ready to order now?" He asked them. Jayden looked around the group and smiled as they nodded.

"I think we're ready." He answered, looking to Mia. "Ladies first."

Over at Central High School, Spike and his friends arrived in time for the start of the dance after their meal. After checking their tickets at the door, they all made their way inside.

While more of a fuss was made for the prom, the formal for the sophomores and freshmen was quite an occasion in and of itself. Hardly anyone could recognise the gym as they made their way inside. The theme was oriental, hardly surprising considering the fact that the biggest thing in town was the Samurai Rangers. Banners bearing Kanji symbols hung over pretty much every surface, while the refreshments tables were manned by teachers dressed in kimonos. Cody and Spike looked to each other and laughed.

"What is it?" Melanie asked. Spike just pointed up to a banner hanging over the stage, where a band was just preparing to begin their set while the stereo filled the room with music as students arrived.

"Let's just say that it's clear the faculty doesn't know much about Japanese." Cody remarked. As part of their training, Cody and Spike had both been taught some measure of Japanese. The banner had been painted; it seemed, by someone with a sense of humour. "If they did, they'd know that banner doesn't exactly say 'welcome to the dance'."

"Then what does it say?" Vicky asked. Cody just leaned in and whispered in her ear. Vicky found herself laughing as he explained. "You're joking right?"

"Nope." He answered her with a little grin.

"Hey Melanie, glad to see you could make it." Amber, the new head cheerleader announced as she arrived with her friends. She looked to her legs. "Hmm...close shave. I'm surprised they let you near sharp objects these days."

Spike and his friends started to close ranks around her. Melanie though was slightly bolstered by their presence, and instead of backing away, she actually found herself stepping up. She looked to Amber directly and smiled.

"Amber, that is SO clever! You really must have thought long and hard about that one!" Melanie stated sarcastically. "Maybe you should sit down before your brain overheats from all that hard work."

Amber just looked slightly aghast that Melanie actually answered her back. One of her friends stepped in.

"I can't believe you could even show your face here!" She snapped. "After everything..."

"After everything all of you have said and done to me, do you really think there's anything I haven't heard?" Melanie interrupted her. She fumbled around, finding Mal's hand as she looked for strength to continue. "Yes, my dad was a crook, but that's nothing to do with me. Yes, I tried to kill myself because of spiteful little bitches like you, but you know what? I've learned something. I made a mistake, probably the biggest one I ever have or ever will, but I've learned from it!"

She stepped closer to Amber, and smiled, before offering her a hand. Uncertain as to what to do, she reluctantly shook her hand.

"Thanks. If I hadn't gone through this, if I hadn't seen what this is like from the other side, I'd still be one of you." Melanie told them, before gesturing to her new friends. "Any one of them is worth more than all of you combined."

She turned and walked away from them, followed by her friends as Amber and the others just stood, left speechless by Melanie's outburst. Melanie tried hard to keep it together, sure they were watching her, but she started to shake as she got a little further away. Jimmy came around in front of her.

"Alright, that was...that was freaking AWESOME!" He screeched.

"I...I..."

"It's alright; we'll find somewhere to have a seat for a while." Mal told her. "The band won't start for another half hour anyway."

"I'll go and get us some drinks." Spike told her, heading over with Vicky and Cody to the refreshments table. Mal took Melanie to some seats, and sat with her. He just smiled as he saw her taking some deep breaths.

"Well, if I hadn't burned my bridges with the popular crowd before, I've definitely done so now." She commented. Mal just nodded.

"Yeah, but there are some places you'd never want to go back to." He answered her. "What you did there, that was so brave. It was pretty amazing."

"Thanks." Melanie replied as she squeezed his hand slightly. "That really means a lot to me."

Back at the Shiba House, Ji and Brenda had just finished up with dinner, and had cleaned up the cartons into the trash. As some soft music played in the background, Brenda was sitting on the couch, settling into the cushions as Ji came back with a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses. Brenda smiled as she saw the bottle.

"Ji..."

"The man in the shop said it was a good year." He informed her as he pulled out a corkscrew and started to wind it into the cork. "I thought that after your first week back, you could do with a little treat."

"Ji, you really are too good to me." She commented as he started to pull out the cork. She held the glasses for him to pour. "What happened, what I've been through...I couldn't have done any of it without you."

"I think you underestimate your strength." He told her as he poured them both a glass, placing the bottle down on the table. He took one glass from her and tapped it gently to hers. He couldn't help feeling elated, seeing her beautiful smile glowing in her face. She was easily the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He leaned in, cupping her cheek softly with his hand and pressed his lips to hers.

As they parted, she looked into his eyes, and her heart beat considerably faster. She reached across to the table, picking up the wine bottle.

"But...you haven't touched your wine." He commented.

"No, I didn't did I?" She asked him, heading for the door. Giving him a little look, Ji just smiled and picked up his glass, following her as she left the room.

Back at the dance, the evening was wearing on. The band had started to play, and the other students were all up on the dance floor, throwing themselves around as they tried to work off the previous years' trials in one night of fun. As the music changed to a slow dance, Mal offered Melanie a hand.

"Would you like to show them how it's done?" He asked her. Melanie just looked a little uncertain.

"Uh...I'm..."

"Come on, you were the head cheerleader!" He reminded her. "Surely you know something about dancing."

"Not like this." She told him.

"The principal's the same." He assured her. "You're already used to choreography and working with a partner right?"

"Yeah..."

"And you already have good rhythm." He continued. "Come on, it'll be good."

Melanie just smiled and took his hand, heading to the dance floor with him. Taking her into a waltz grip, they started to turn in place in time to the music. Melanie could see some of the others looking at them, chattering, but she didn't care. Pulling in more closely she enjoyed the dance.

At another part of the dance floor, Cody and Vicky were dancing slowly as the music played. Cody had to periodically let go to dry off his hands, which were sweating badly, and he could hardly concentrate as he enjoyed the moment with her. His heart felt like it was being crushed by unseen hands, and he found it hard to breathe properly. Vicky parted from him a little way and smiled.

"You're nervous aren't you?" She asked him.

"What gave me away?" He asked her. Vicky just laughed. Cody was pretty cute, especially when he was so nervous, and clearly trying to impress her. She pulled in closer, putting her arms around his neck. She caught sight of Spike in the corner with Jimmy, discussing something, and she once again found herself confused about what was going on with her. She just reminded herself that she was with Cody. She looked into his eyes, and pressed her forehead to his.

"You know what people usually do during a slow dance right?" She asked him. He just smiled goofily at her. Drawing in, he pressed his lips to hers. They held there for a moment, before parting. They both stared at each other, stopping dead on the dance floor as they both tried to think of something to say.

"That was..." Vicky started to say, searching her brain for what it meant to her.

"Wow, that was..." Cody stated. He also was trying hard to think of what to say. "That felt...really weird."

"Yeah." Vicky agreed. "I thought it was meant to be all..."

"Yeah." Cody agreed, taking her back in a waltz grip and continuing the dance. He took a deep breath as he finally knew what to say. "We've made a mistake haven't we?"

Vicky just looked at him, not quite understanding what he was getting at.

"I like you Vicky; I think you're a really cool person." He told her. "But, maybe there was a reason I was so nervous."

Vicky finally understood. They had both made a mistake. She did like Cody, but now that they had this experience, she realised that she didn't like him in the way she thought she did. He was a friend, a really good friend, but beyond that, the chemistry just wasn't there. She hated to think that she had used him, but as she looked to him, he was smiling. He had clearly had much the same thoughts on the kiss.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out." Cody told her.

"I'm not sorry we did it though." Vicky told him. "At least now we know."

Cody looked across to where Spike was talking with Jimmy, trying hard not to look like he was deliberately trying not to look at them. As he looked back to Vicky, he caught her casting a glance in his direction. He smiled as he remembered what Spike had told him. He really did like Vicky. The only reason he never made a move was because he respected the fact Cody had made his move first and wasn't willing to risk losing friends. He just turned her to face him and smiled at her.

"Go ahead." He told her. "I don't mind."

As Vicky tried to find something to say, she then just hugged him tightly, before parting from him.

"You really don't mind?" She asked him. He just shrugged.

"Hey, it wasn't meant to be between us." He told her. "Good luck with him."

With that, they both headed off the dance floor to rejoin their friends. The number of couples on the dance floor was thinning out, and there were now only a few left. They then started vying for attention, each trying to be the couple everyone talked about. Mal and Melanie though were only there because they enjoyed each other's company. He saw her looking over to where Amber was desperately trying to be in the spotlight with her date, one of the guys on the Ice Hockey team. There might not have been a prom king and queen for the Sophomore/Freshmen formal, but that didn't mean there wasn't usually one couple everyone was talking about all summer. Mal just looked to her and smiled.

"Do you trust me?" He asked her. Melanie just nodded.

"Completely." She assured him. Mal leaned over, grabbing her around the waist. Melanie remembered the grip from cheerleading, and recalled the lift. She kicked off the ground to help him with the lift, and was flipped over Mal's shoulder, at which he caught her under the arms, and extended his own, holding her high over his head, back-to-back. She smiled as she completed the hold by getting into position, allowing Mal to easily hold her weight.

Spike and the others all looked to them, completely stunned. The whole room was now abuzz seeing them dancing.

"Did you know he could dance like that?" Spike asked. Vicky just shook her head.

"It's news to me." She commented. The others were backing off the dance floor, leaving them in the spotlight. Letting her down, Mal took her back into a grip, carrying on with the dance, whispering the moves to her as they went. Melanie was already familiar with a good few of the moves, and any she wasn't, she quickly adapted to. There was something of a whisper rippling through the crowd as they continued to dance. The only one that wasn't impressed was Amber, who was desperate to get the spotlight back.

She ran at her date, telling him to lift her. Unfortunately, he was not at all familiar with the manoeuvre. As she leapt to give him the boost for the lift, he failed to catch her, and instead of a nice, controlled lift, he ended up losing grip, kind of throwing her over his head. Amber crashed to the floor, landing square on her butt to a chorus of laughs. She got up, swiping away her date's attempts to help her and limped away in tears, with as much dignity as she could muster.

Spinning Melanie back into his arms, Mal finished the dance, looking into her eyes. The crowd applauded, clearly impressed by their display. Melanie though couldn't hear them. She wasn't paying attention to anything but Mal. Pulling in closely, she kissed him. Mal looked a little stunned as she did this, but a moment later, he seemed to get over it. Pulling her hair clear, he pulled in, kissing her deeply.

Just as they parted though, there seemed to be a commotion. Mal looked up, just in time to see someone coming. He grabbed Melanie, pulling her away, and glaring straight at Mal.

"Malcolm!" He yelled at him angrily.

"D...d...dad!" He stammered. "What are you...?"

"What are YOU doing here?" He screamed. "I expressly forbid you to come here! I told you that you were grounded!"

"I told you, I had to come!" Mal protested.

"Oh yes, I can see why!" His father yelled at him. By now, the scene was completely humiliating for Mal. Melanie tried to interject.

"Um, excuse me, I'm..."

"I know exactly who you are!" He spat angrily, looking Melanie up and down like something he had scraped from his shoe. "My niece told me that Mal bought that dress for you! Do you have any idea how hard he had to work for that money?"

"I never asked him to do that!" Melanie protested.

"And you said it yourself dad, I worked for that money!" Mal reminded him. "It's mine to do with as I see fit! If I wanted to buy a dress, then that's my business!"

"Malcolm, you're coming home, right now!" His father put down flatly.

"Sir, please..."

"You don't even talk to him!" He snapped. "My son doesn't know any better. But you've managed to turn him into a liar and a disobedient..."

"Dad!" Mal protested. "This is nothing to do with Melanie!"

"I told you not to get involved with her!" He stated. By now, Melanie was looking to Mal, clearly upset.

"Mal?" She asked him. "Why...?"

Mal's dad grabbed one of her arms and held it up, making a point of showing her a scar from where she had taken a razor blade to her wrists. He just looked to her judgementally.

Mal by now had enough. He just got between his father and Melanie.

"Melanie, I'm sorry." He said apologetically before rounding on his father. "I know all about our faith..."

"So why did I see you kissing this...girl!" He yelled. "You know what she did!"

"Yes, I do, I was there remember?" Mal screamed at him as tears started to roll down his face. "I also know that part of our faith is compassion! You might want to start showing some!"

Mal's dad slapped him hard across his face, before looking around at the now-silent crowd.

"You have humiliated us enough for one night." His father said sternly. "Come home now!"

"No." Mal said just as abruptly. Melanie just looked to him. She had tears in her eyes, and was clearly upset, but the last thing she wanted was to come between Mal and his parents. He had done so much for her; she couldn't see him do anything to hurt himself. "Mal, please just go."

"Melanie..."

"I'll be fine, I promise." She told him. "Please, just go."

Mal rubbed her shoulders in a comforting gesture, before leaving with his father. Spike and the others all gathered around Melanie, Vicky hugging her tightly.

"Wow, that was...that sucks." Jimmy stated sympathetically.

"I'll call him later." Spike told them. "Just to make sure he's alright."

The band started up the music again, and everyone started slowly making their way onto the dance floor. By now though, dancing was the last thing on their minds.


	3. Family Values

The Rangers were having a whale of a time over at the Italian restaurant. After recent events, there had been a lot of tension in the household that seemed to be always on the verge of snapping. It was like watching a tree being bent, waiting for the moment that the trunk would finally give up and break, but right now, it seemed like things were finally going their way.

Serena was telling the others about her time at the farm. Not too much, she doubted they would be thrilled that she had been convinced to come back at the behest of a monster that had at one time tried to destroy the world, but she did relay a lot of what happened, including, the particularly amusing anecdote about the fact her mother had basically "grounded" her, with a length of chain and some old padlocks.

"You're kidding right?" Emily chuckled. "Mom seriously did that?"

"I'm afraid so." Serena sniggered as she nodded in response. "I guess we always got off lucky when we were kids."

"Wow, way to make me really good about when I go to meet your mom." Mike stated, though with a big smile on his face. He didn't really take it too seriously. "I mean, I am marrying Emily..."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Serena warned him. "Mom's very protective."

"Dad's not much better." Emily told him. "He once shot a guy with rock salt just for visiting after curfew."

"We do have about twenty acres." Serena told him. "It wouldn't be too hard to hide the body..."

"I'll shut up now." Mike grumbled, shying away. The others just laughed as they saw this.

"Wow, if I knew it was that easy, I'd have threatened you a year ago!" Kevin chuckled. Just then, their Samuraizers bleeped. Jayden just looked to the screen on his, seeing that the signal was not far from the restaurant. He looked apologetically to the waiter as he brought in the desserts.

"Sorry, we have to cut this short." He told him. "Uh...just bag it all up and send it to the Shiba House. Just...charge the card for it all."

He slapped down a hundred dollar bill as they ran out for a tip. The waiter saw the money, and didn't object in the slightest.

Over at the school dance, Spike and his friends were a lot more subdued now that Mal had been dragged home in front of everyone. It was an embarrassing scene, for Mal especially. They spent their time with Melanie, making sure she was alright, considering the fact that Mal's dad had made it clear she was the 'cause' of the disturbance.

"Is anyone suddenly feeling like this place kind of sucks?" Jimmy asked rather rhetorically. None of them had really said or done anything since the Mal incident, and to be honest, none of them really felt much like celebrating any longer.

Just then, there was a red glow by one of the tables. Cody recognised it instantly as an indication something was coming from the Netherworld. A short time later, some Moogers came through. For a moment, people thought it was just part of the entertainment, but the moment one of the hockey players was sent flying almost thirty feet through the photography set, they all quickly got the idea.

Cody looked to Spike, who was also looking at him. He just nodded to indicate that this was what they had trained for. Although Spike was still largely ignorant to the true nature of the Nighlock War, He was a decent fighter, one that Cody trusted to have his back, and he knew that he was ready for it. He caught the wrist of a Mooger as it came for him, twisting it aside, only for Spike to slam a kick into its face, sending it sprawling away. Cody handed its sword to Spike.

"Help me!" He stated bluntly. Spike cast a look to the corner, seeing that Jimmy, Vicky and Melanie were all running away with the others, and satisfied himself that Vicky was safe. Gripping the sword tightly, he just nodded and ran with Cody, ploughing into the Moogers attacking the students.

Spike watched as Cody ran into the fray, seemingly without a moment's fear. He performed a move he could never even imagine, where he seemed to catch the Mooger's weapon, and flip over him, ripping it from his grip, before continuing to attack, slashing them down. Spike always knew that Cody had trained a lot longer than him, but seeing him in action for real was a humbling experience. It was only as he finally shook himself to attention; he saw some other Moogers coming out and ran to help him, using everything he had. As he cut down a couple of them, he finally felt like his training had been worth it. This was what it was all about. Fighting back-to-back with his best friend.

The students arrived in the parking lot, finding giant Moogers stomping about, destroying cars to prevent their escape. It wasn't long though, before a heartening sight came. The Samurai Battlewing soared into view, its blasts taking down some of the giant Moogers. The Yellow and Pink Rangers were on the ground, hacking through the few Moogers on the ground.

"Everyone go!" Emily screamed.

"But...our friends!" Vicky screamed. "Cody and Spike are still in there!"

Emily recognised her, and she recognised the names. Because of the helmet, she was sure Vicky wouldn't know her, and so she just gestured away.

"We'll get them out!" She assured her.

"But..."

"They're fighting to let you get away!" Emily reminded her. "If you value them at all, respect their sacrifice and go!"

Vicky just ran away, joining the others in their flight. Emily and Mia finished off their foes, leaving the guys to finish off the giant Moogers as they ran inside.

They were stunned by what they saw. Spike took down one with half-a-dozen strikes in what seemed like less than a second, while Cody coolly took down another three, leaving the gym clear. Both of them were out of breath, and completely exhausted, but when all was said and done, by the time the Rangers arrived, there was nothing for them to do.

Emily came across, and placed a hand on Spike's shoulder, causing him to snap around in a start. She was only just able to parry it, before gesturing to her Spandex.

"Hey, I'm on your side!" She told them. "God, you guys...you did all this?"

"Yeah, we did." Cody replied, looking at her with a smile. He knew damn fine who Emily was, but he knew better than to reveal the secret unless they were willing to. "We um...we just made a stand."

"Made a stand?" Mia asked, looking at the scene of destruction. "I'd say you kicked some serious ass!"

Cody just bowed to them. Spike took a second to register the gesture, but he followed suit. Emily and Mia just looked to each other, before returning it, and gesturing for them to stand up.

"Go check on your friends." Emily told them. "We have things covered here."

With that, they both ran out, beaming broadly. They had been in battle, and had been personally commended by Samurai Rangers. It was the greatest compliment they could hope to attain.

The following morning, the Rangers were sitting around, eating breakfast, talking about recent events. They had already trained in the morning, and were just taking some time before they did so again. As Ji finally arrived, Jayden pushed a seat out with his foot.

"We made some more for you." Jayden told him. "We figured you might be hungry."

"Uh...thank you." Ji commented. "I must have needed the rest."

"I'll bet you did." Mike sniggered. Emily just elbowed him in the ribs hard. Ji just looked at him.

"And that is meant to mean...?" He asked rhetorically. Just then, Antonio held up a pashmina.

"Somehow, I don't think it suits you." He commented. "Isn't that right Brenda?"

Brenda was, at that exact moment, trying to sneak out of the house. They had indeed spent the night together, but she knew the situation Ji was in. She came across, taking the pashmina from Antonio, before looking to Ji apologetically, and leaving the house. She knew he would call her later.

"So, things are going...well?" Jayden asked him in a teasing way. "Should I start calling her mom?"

"That is enough." Ji chuckled.

"Wow, and you always talked to us about this stuff." Mia giggled. "I guess..."

"I said that's enough."

"Maybe you can't..."

"I said that's ENOUGH!" Ji snarled, far more forcefully than he ever intended. All of them looked to him, completely startled. He did have his badass moments, he was a strict, and hard disciplinarian when the time called for it, but this was still far more than they expected. He leaned in as he heard Brenda's car pull away.

"Brenda means a great deal to me." He told them. "I know it would be hypocritical of me to tell you to exercise restraint when I clearly have not. I merely ask that my business remain exactly that."

They all nodded.

"In return, your business will be yours." He told them. "I do however ask that you remember your responsibilities and that you are responsible. I know I have no right to order you to do so given my own behaviour, but I do ask it with respect."

He just took some cereal and went back towards his room. Jayden just got up and followed him as the others got on with their breakfast.

He went to Ji's room, knocking the door gently. The house had been left in his fathers' will to Ji, so strictly speaking it was his house. Of course, Ji took his role as Jayden's vassal very seriously, and would hand over anything in a heartbeat without a second thought. He only knocked out of respect to the man that had been his father since he was six years old.

Ji looked around, seeing Jayden in the doorway and shook his head, turning back to his cereal.

"I am sorry..."

"Don't be." Jayden interrupted him abruptly. "I can see what she means to you."

"It doesn't matter..."

"It DOES matter Ji." Jayden told him. "Please, you've been there for me so much, just say it."

Ji turned to face him. He laid his cereal aside.

"After Miko, I never thought I would love so intensely again." He answered honestly. "I am sorry..."

"There's no reason to apologise." Jayden assured him. "This is your house."

"That may be the case legally, but not morally." Ji reminded him. "If you were old enough, you know the Shiba House would be yours. It has housed your clan for many years. It is yours."

"And it is yours for..."

"That is something we need to discuss." Ji told him. "I am your vassal..."

"Ji..."

"Let me finish!" Ji insisted. Jayden just took a seat. "I am your vassal. When you ask me to sign the house to you, I will do so."

"But Ji..."

"Jayden please!" He insisted. He took a deep breath. "Brenda and I have talked quite a bit. She knows about my responsibilities here. She knows why I need to be here, and she accepts that. But we do love each other, and I have made a decision."

He looked to Jayden and bowed with reverence.

"Once the war is over, presuming we are victorious, I will sign the Shiba House to you." He told him. "I will be moving in with Brenda."

Jayden just smiled and hugged him.

"I couldn't be happier for you." He assured him. "You really deserve it."

"She deserves better." Ji told him, gesturing to himself with a chuckle. "But she has chosen me."

"She is a lucky woman." Jayden told him. "I'm happy for you dad."

Ji just pulled him in, hugging him tightly again as he called him that. Jayden was his son in every way that mattered to him, and although he had never tried to replace him, he was overjoyed to hear Jayden refer to him that way.

Bulk was ripped from his sleep as someone started mashing down on his doorbell. He was planning to ignore it, but they kept hitting it again and again. It was like a desperate attempt for attention.

He ran into Spike on the landing, but even with both in their pyjamas, they were both ready for anything. They pulled a couple of shinai out of an umbrella stand by the stairs, and headed outside.

Bulk's house was quite large, and had a pretty impressive yard. There was a gate some way from the house that visitors had to buzz at for entry. They both made their way down the path.

As they got there though, they found someone in a suit, sitting on a case on wheels in a suit. Spike opened the gate and went around, trying to get a good look at him. He finally saw him and his jaw fell open.

"Mal?" He asked. Mal just nodded.

"Sorry, I've been wandering around all night, I didn't know where else to go." Mal told him.

"Mal, what happened?" Spike asked, throwing his shinai aside, looking to his friend, who clearly hadn't even had a chance to change since the previous night. He was still wearing the tux he had been at the formal. Mal just looked to him and sighed.

"Dad kept going on and on about our faith. He told me again and again about what we think about suicide." Mal told him. "He gave me a choice. He said that I was a disgrace for hanging with Melanie and he gave me a choice. I could choose to side with a sinner, and I could renounce..."

"Mal..."

"I can't just ignore what I saw Spike, there's no way I could. What I saw...that'll be with me for the rest of my life." Mal told him. "My dad gave me a choice, his way or the highway."

"Mal..."

"I kind of need somewhere to stay for a while." Mal told him. "Even for a few hours. After that..."

"Forget that kid, just come in." Bulk put down flatly. "I'll call your parents to let them know where you are, but other than that, make yourself at home. Spike, get his case."

Mal got up, allowing Spike to get his case, and followed him inside. Bulk was no longer about speaking ill of people, but he couldn't help feeling an intense anger. Mal's dad favoured some rules over his own son's welfare, something he could never understand. He didn't have any kids himself, but he already knew that if anyone threatened Spike, he wouldn't care what he had to go through to keep him safe. He knew that Mal was one of his good friends, and as such, he was important to him. He was only too happy to help, and direct the anger at the people that deserved it. Pulling out his address book and dialling his phone to tell Mal's dad where he was, he gripped the phone so tightly it hurt.


	4. Family Rift

Spike came into the Living Room of his place, bringing a couple of mugs of cocoa with him. Mal was sitting on his couch, staring into space as he handed him the mug.

"Thanks." Mal managed to say weakly. Spike just sat down with him and looked to him sympathetically. Mal had told them that he had a run-in with his parents, but he never would have suspected that it was so serious. From what his father had said at the formal, it sounded like Mal had left the house without permission after being grounded.

"You're welcome." Spike told him. "So, your dad...?"

"I couldn't stay there." Mal told him. "After the formal, he just kept screaming at me, he kept going on and on about what Melanie did and...in the end, I just told him to shove it and packed a bag."

"Well, your dad did seem pretty intense at the dance." Spike replied, remembering the humiliating scene. It was uncomfortable enough for him just seeing it. For Mal, it had to be a hundred times worse.

"Trust me; you only got the pre-watershed version." Mal assured him. "He's my dad, and I respect him and everything, but this...I just couldn't agree with him on this."

Just then, Bulk came into the room. They could tell from his expression he was far from happy, but he just looked to Mal and took a seat. He didn't want to bad-mouth his father, regardless of how he felt about the situation.

"I told your dad where you are." Bulk told him. "I said you could stay here while you figure this thing out."

"Yeah, I'm holding my breath for that happening." Mal grumbled. Bulk just looked to Spike, and then back to Mal.

"Look, I'm not picking sides; I just don't want you to end up on the streets." Bulk told him. He then just breathed a sigh.

"Alright, Spike, show him where the guest room is." He told his nephew. "I'm sure you're probably tired after wandering around all night."

"Thanks." Mal replied. "I mean, seriously."

"Just...promise that you'll talk to your parents at some point." Bulk insisted. "You can't let something like this come between you."

"I will." Mal promised him. With that, Spike took him upstairs to the guest room. As he left him, Bulk just settled back into his chair. He had spoken on the phone with Mal's dad, and he had to try hard to keep his cool. He had managed to get the message across that Mal was safe, and that he had somewhere to stay. For now, that was all that mattered.

In another part of town, Mike and Emily were skating through the park. It had been a while since they had enjoyed a little time to enjoy a break in the park, riding the skate paths around. It was now coming close to the summer break for the High School kids, so they knew it wouldn't be much longer before the park would be full most days, and were taking the time to enjoy it while they had the chance.

Mike skidded to a halt and kicked his board up as Emily skidded to a halt on her roller blades next to him, coming to a halt by the lake. Emily pulled off her backpack and pulled out some stale bread she had brought with them, making her way slowly towards the shore and taking a seat. Mike joined her, putting an arm around her as he sat with her. He couldn't help grinning broadly as he saw the smile on her face, and heard her humming contentedly as she tore off some bread and threw it out for some ducks.

"You seem a lot happier." He commented. "I can't say it didn't come soon enough."

"What's not to be happy about?" She asked him with a small giggle. "Serena's back, we're all healing up well, and right now the team seems to be stronger than I can remember."

She tore off some more bread and threw it out into the lake, at which the ducks started to notice the snack being sent their way and started to come over.

"Did you see how happy Ji and Brenda were?" Emily asked him. "I mean, I know we teased him, but they're really great together don't you think?"

"I guess I'm not as weirded out by the thought of Mentor dating as I used to be." Mike conceded. "I guess I kind of felt like it was mom or dad dating. It just didn't seem right somehow, but seeing him happy...it's really cool what they have together."

"Do you think they'll ever...you know...get married or anything?" Emily asked him. Mike just laughed.

"I thought it was Mia who had weddings on the brain." Mike teased her. Emily just threw some bread at him in response. He thought about it for a moment, and just shrugged. "I guess stranger things have happened. They are getting pretty close, and something tells me Brenda wouldn't exactly be too averse to the idea."

"I would really love it if they did." Emily told him. "I mean, just look at us. You and me, Mia and Kevin, we all know what we're doing after the war's over. Antonio and Jayden seem pretty happy together..."

"You're talking about everyone flying the nest." Mike sighed. Emily just nodded.

"It's going to happen eventually." She replied as she took his hand in hers. "I'm not going to expect you to move into my room or the barn back home, I'm pretty sure we'll want a place of our own. Mia and Kevin too..."

"Emily, you know what Ji means to Jayden." Mike assured her. "You know he'll always have a home at the Shiba House."

"Yeah, but...I think this is...do you really think they're going to want to be living in each other's pockets for good?" Emily asked him. She looked back out over the lake. Mike just smiled as he thought about the future Emily was talking about, a day when their war would be over. Although he knew that their parents had done their best, they were still hopeful that they could find a way to end the war altogether, not just defer the struggle to the next generation.

"So, that's something we haven't talked much about." Mike reminded her. "You know...what we plan to do after we get married."

"What do you mean?" Emily asked him. Mike just squeezed her hand a little.

"You remember that little place Michael and Em had in Corinth?" Mike asked her, reminding her of when they met their counter-parts over in Corinth. Emily just smiled.

"How could I forget?" She asked him.

"Well, I might like an internet connection and a couple of video games in a den for myself, but I think I'd kind of like something like that." He told her. "It seemed really nice, really peaceful out there. I think I'd like that for when the war's over. You know, go into town whenever we want, but just have the place to ourselves."

"I'd like a few animals." Emily told him. "Nothing huge, just a few chickens, maybe a dog..."

"How about some of those?" Mike asked, pointing out a little way. Emily strained to see what he was pointing at. A couple of kids were out in the lake, sitting on a boat, rowing lazily as they enjoyed the sunlight. Emily just smiled and nodded.

"I think a couple of them would be really nice." She told him. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled as he held her. "Could you imagine what they would be like?"

"Knowing my luck, they'd have my attention span and your co-ordination." Mike teased her. Emily just jabbed him in the ribs, frowning a little, before settling back into his arms.

"We're going to beat him Mike." Emily told him. "You believe that right?"

"With what we have to look forward to, how can we fail?" He asked in response.

Over at his place, Kieran was doing some work on a piece he had been commissioned to clean up and restore, when he heard something outside. He put down his tools and headed out of the house, making his way into the yard. There, he found Cody chopping up some wood.

He came over, seeing his son working hard, and he smiled.

"I thought you were more into all that tech stuff these days." He commented. Cody just shrugged.

"Just because I like that stuff doesn't mean to say I can't still help out around here." Cody answered. Kieran just came across, watching his son continuing to work.

"You know, I seem to remember telling you that you could go and do something with your friends today." He commented. "I would have thought that you'd want to spend some more time with Vicky."

"Yeah, she's cool." Cody agreed. "But...we're just friends."

"Really?" Kieran asked him. "Want to talk about it?"

"It's nothing really." Cody told him. "I'm fine really."

"What happened?" Kieran asked his son. Cody just took a seat with him and took a deep breath.

"Everything was going great, but..." He paused as he thought about it. "You know how you always told me about your first date with mom; how you just knew that she was the one?"

He just shook his head.

"When I kissed her...there was nothing." Cody told him. "No fireworks no...it was just...weird."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Kieran sighed. "Are you alright?"

"You know...I really am." Cody assured him. "Vicky and I kind of agreed on the whole thing. We're friends, and that really kind of works for us."

"You really are incredible, you know that?" Kieran asked him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "What happened showed a lot of maturity on your part. I'm proud of you."

"I had a pretty good role model." Cody assured him. Kieran just hugged his son, before releasing him.

"You know, there's something I wanted to talk to you about." Kieran told him. "You've really enjoyed having your friends around these last couple of months haven't you?"

"Yeah, I have." Cody agreed.

"And I'm guessing you haven't loved having to run around town every lunch time just to see them for a few minutes each day." Kieran asked him. Cody just shrugged.

"I guess not, but what can I do?" Cody asked in response.

"Well, it's too late for this term; you only have a week left." Kieran told him. "But, I was wondering how you'd like to transfer to Central next term."

Cody just smiled brightly as he heard this.

"Are you serious?" He asked. "But...I thought I was in the wrong catchment zone."

"Well, I had Ji make some phone calls." Kieran explained. "It would mean a little extra travelling time to and from school each day, but..."

"Dad, that would be great!" Cody interrupted him excitedly! Kieran just smiled as he saw his son's expression lifting. He had been thinking for a while how much happier his son had been since meeting his friends. He had done his best for him, raising Cody alone, but there were some things he knew he couldn't do by himself. He was happy to know that his son would be happy with the move. "Um...can I...?"

"On you go." He told him. "Go and find your friends. I'm sure they'd love to hear the news."

With that, Cody turned and ran off, heading towards the city. He knew that he had added a considerable amount of travelling time to his day by deciding to go to a school further from his home, but knowing that he would be spending his time with his friends, he knew that it would be worth it.

In another part of town, Spike was walking with Mal through the streets. He had gotten a little rest, but he had gotten up a little while later, and insisted on going out.

As they rounded a corner, Spike realised why. He saw a synagogue, and remembered that it was Saturday, meaning that for Mal, it was the Sabbath. Even with the rift with his parents, his faith still meant something to him.

"You can come in if you like." Mal told him. Spike just stammered.

"Um...I think I'll just wait out here." Spike told him.

"Come on, everyone's welcome." Mal insisted.

"Yeah, it isn't really my thing. I wouldn't feel right about it." Spike reiterated. "I'll be fine waiting out here. I'll take you home when you're ready."

Mal just nodded in understanding, before heading inside. As he did so, someone was watching him with interest. Mal had only just begun to prepare when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked up, seeing the Rabbi behind him.

"You look troubled Malcolm." He began. Mal just sighed. His mom and dad usually visited the synagogue early in the day, so he was sure that they had likely already told the Rabbi about their argument, and Mal's subsequent decision to leave the house. Mal just nodded.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to..."

"You know, a trouble shared is a trouble halved." The Rabbi told him, jerking his head in the direction of a door. "I'll be in my chambers if you change your mind."

With that, he just left Mal in peace to pray.

In another part of the city, Dekker was sitting in a cave, waiting for Serrator to come and see him. He did not know what he had planned, or what it meant for him, but in the end, he didn't really care either. As a result of recent events, he only knew that things eventually would escalate, and that he would eventually be called upon to do whatever it was that Serrator had planned.

He just looked up as he heard someone arriving. He also smelled something that heralded the new arrival. He just smirked as he saw Serrator arriving.

"I can see that the rumours are true." Dekker stated. "Master Xandred has learned of your plots against him."

"A temporary setback, I assure you." Serrator told him. Dekker just looked to him with a slightly curious glance. He could see the extent of Serrator's injuries, and knew that he was far too intelligent to believe that he was in any state to stand against him. The stench of burned flesh still followed him around, and he could see from the way he moved that Serrator was not in any shape to fight directly. There had to be something that gave him that confidence.

"Then I suppose the other part of the rumours are true." Dekker surmised. "Master Xandred is confined to the bottom of the Sanzu River."

"You are well informed." Serrator complimented him as he started to pace around. "Unfortunately, it will be some time before I am ready to bring my plan to fruition. However, we must be ready to keep the Rangers on their toes. We can't let them have things too easy."

"You know I am ready for anything." Dekker told him, holding up the Bane of Life. "Just tell me when, and I will strike."

"You will know in good time." Serrator assured him. "Although, your obsession with the Red Ranger could be troublesome, it would be a shame if you were to be destroyed before you take centre stage in the endgame."

"Then you want me to stay away from him?" Dekker asked. Serrator just laughed.

"Of course not, I merely wish that you would...spread the love so to speak." He continued. "There are six other Samurai, many of whom are just as strong as the red one."

"I suppose that Yellow Ranger did hand me an impressive defeat once." He commented, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "The Blue one has gained invaluable battle experience since his early battles. As for the black one...yes, there are other options."

"I will tell you when, but feel free to have a little fun with them." Serrator told him. "Just remember, if you want me to fulfil my part of the bargain, then you will remember you need to stay alive for the time being. Have your fun, but do not let pride cause you to stay too long and risk destruction."

"You have my word." Dekker told him. Serrator just disappeared into a gap. As he left though, Dekker smiled. Dayu came out of a hiding place, and approached him. Dekker reached behind some rocks, and brought out his true blade, Urumasa.

"You were right all along." Dekker told her. "He never had any intention of returning Urumasa to me. That means whatever he has planned, he will betray us again."

"So, what do we do?" Dayu asked him.

"We wait until we find out what his move is." Dekker told her. "If he has figured out how to open this rift, then another can do so. Only by finding out how he intends to do it, can we hope to stop that ever happening."

He looked to Urumasa and smiled.

"Then, I will repay him in kind." Dekker assured her. "Nighlock do not slake my lust for battle, but in his case, I will make an exception."

"And when he is disposed of?" Dayu asked him. "What then?"

"Then I do as I always have, I search for the one that will release me from my curse." Dekker told her. "If all else fails, Xandred has shown me his true power. If none of the Samurai are up to the task, then perhaps he will be."

As she left, Dayu could only consider her own agenda. For now, she had to go along with Dekker. He was possibly the best chance they now had of ridding themselves of Serrator. After that though, she would have to put her own plan into motion.

Back at the synagogue, the Rabbi heard a gently rap on his door, following which Mal went into his office. The Rabbi just gestured to the seat opposite him.

"I see you have changed your mind about talking with me." He said in a welcoming tone.

"I guess mom and dad talked to you." Mal said as he took his seat. The Rabbi just nodded.

"They are concerned for you." He told him. Mal just took a deep breath.

"It's about my friend Melanie." He began. The Rabbi just listened as he tried to find where to begin. "A while ago, she was going through a really rough time. Her family situation's taken a pretty serious turn for the worse, and some of the other kids really took to kicking her when she was down. I found her..."

"Is she the one who attempted to take her own life?" The Rabbi asked him. Mal just nodded in response. He was beginning to think that his parents had decided to try and get the Rabbi to 'talk some sense' into him and make him see things their way. "It is a tragedy when anyone feels so alone that they believe that is their only option."

"When dad found out, he completely flipped his lid." Mal told him. "He just kept talking about how it's a sin, and telling me to stay away from her."

"I take it that has not been what you did." The Rabbi commented. Mal just shook his head.

"I can't just forget what I saw." He told him. "I've been hanging with her since she did it. I really wanted to help her."

"Your father does not approve of that." The Rabbi surmised. Mal just nodded.

"He couldn't get over the suicide attempt." Mal continued. "He got so mad at me he dragged me out of the formal. He just kept screaming at me, I just couldn't take it anymore. He told me to stop seeing her, and when I refused, I told him that I couldn't stay, I just packed a bag."

"It is sad that this has come between you." The Rabbi told him. "Do remember what the Commandments say."

"Respect thy father and thy mother." Mal sighed. "I guess you're telling me..."

"RESPECT thy father and thy mother." The Rabbi clarified. "It does not say obey."

"Excuse me?" Mal asked him, slightly surprised.

"You forget that I presided over your Bar Mitzvah." The Rabbi told him. "Part of becoming a man is making your own decisions. You are able to show compassion and charity even for one that is not of your faith. I am proud of you."

"So...you're not here to tell me to go back to my parents?" Mal asked him. The Rabbi just smiled.

"I would like to see that happen, and I will do all I can to help both sides reach an understanding." He told him. "My door is always open. You are always welcome in this synagogue."

"Thank you." Mal answered. "That means a lot."

With that, he went outside, where Spike was waiting for him. Spike could see that his spirits had lifted considerably as he came out of the synagogue.

"Wow, um...you seem...happier." Spike commented.

"It's all the power of faith." Mal answered as he patted Spike on the back as they headed in the direction of Spike's place. He didn't know how things were going to go between him and his father, but at least he didn't feel so alone. He had people on his side, and that was something he was sure would help him through.


	5. The Game is On

Monday morning came around, and the kids went back to school. Right now, the feelings were pretty split across the school, and it was easy to tell what stage of their career the kids were all at. The Juniors and Seniors were all pretty subdued, quiet and somewhat stressed, considering the fact that by the end of the week, they would all be beginning their exams. For the Sophomores and Freshmen though...it was party time!

Spike came into the school with Mal beside him, elated by the fact that soon he and his friends would soon have a couple of months all to themselves. As much as he loved being at school, and he had enjoyed his classes, the thought of a couple of months being able to just goof off with them and enjoy the summer was incredibly appealing.

Even with his current situation, even Mal seemed a little happier. Because he hadn't gone in with him, Spike didn't know what had gone on inside, but it had seemed to help lift his spirits somewhat, and with no exams to worry about, he was sure that in the coming months, Mal would have plenty of time to handle things with his parents.

They arrived, finding Vicky, Jimmy and Melanie by their lockers, talking with a little bit of a buzz about them. Clearly they were all looking forward to the holidays just like everyone else in the bottom two years of school. Melanie saw Mal, and her demeanour changed slightly. She seemed to pull away a little.

"Mal, we tried to call you." Vicky told him. "How did things go...?"

"I'd really rather not talk about it." Mal put down flatly. He looked to Spike and sighed, before looking back to them. "I'm staying with Spike for a while."

"Mal...?"

"Just...until I can talk things through with my dad without us both trying to bite each other's heads off." Mal told them. Melanie just looked somewhat apologetic and started to shift a little uncomfortably.

"I'm really sorry Mal; I'd never have wanted to cause problems between you and your dad." Melanie told him. "I should...I should probably go..."

"Melanie, just stay right where you are." Mal warned her. "It's not your fault my dad flipped his lid."

"But..."

"You're a friend, and I'm not going to apologise for helping a friend, even if my dad doesn't like it." Mal put down flatly. He moved a little closer, putting his arm around her. Melanie couldn't help smiling as he did this. "If he can't accept the fact, that's his problem. It shouldn't be yours."

"I just...I really don't want to cause you any problems." Melanie told him. "I know what it's like to lose a family member. I've not seen my dad since he was arrested..."

"Like I said, it's not your problem, it's his." Mal insisted. "Besides, I'd have thought you'd like to hang with us this summer."

"Thanks Mal." Melanie replied, looking a little happier with the situation. "It means a lot to me."

"Well, I say we should all make the most of things this summer." Jimmy commented as he pointed to a group of Juniors running around with somewhat panicked looks on their faces. "Just think, next year that'll be you guys."

"What did I say about not rubbing that in?" Vicky told her little brother, slapping him across the back of the head.

"Ow! I can't help it if Cody and I have another year without exams to worry about." He told them. "Oh, that reminds me, have you guys heard the news?"

"We've been kind of out the loop this weekend." Spike answered. This much was largely true, he and Bulk hadn't even been to Cody's place to train, explaining to Kieran over the phone the situation with Mal. "What news?"

"Cody's coming to Central next year!" Vicky informed them, bouncing on the spot. "He told us at the weekend, he's transferring here!"

"Well, I guess you'll be happy about that." Spike stated, nudging her gently. Vicky just sucked her teeth a little.

"Yeah, that's kind of the other news from the weekend." She told them. "Cody and I have called things off."

"Really?" Mal asked. He had been dragged out of the dance, causing a scene that meant no one was really thinking about anything else. She hadn't gotten around to sharing that news with them yet.

"Why? What happened?" Melanie asked her. "You both looked like you were having a great time!"

"Yeah, we were." Vicky told them. "It just...well...it didn't really feel like...it...you know?"

They all looked a little confused. Vicky just shook her head.

"We talked, and we just figured that we're happy as friends." Vicky pressed on. Just then, the bell rang. "It's no big deal. We gave it a shot, and it didn't work out alright?"

As they all started to head for class, at the back of the group where he couldn't be seen, Spike couldn't help getting a little smile on his face. Of course he would never have wished for anything to happen between Cody and Vicky, both of them were his friends. However, from the way Vicky had talked about it, it hadn't sounded like anything that had hurt either of them. It had all sounded pretty mutual, and amicable.

As he started to make his way to class though, he noticed Jimmy standing before him. He had thought he hadn't been seen, but the way Jimmy was grinning at him, he could tell he was back in annoying little brother mode.

"Well, I guess there's good news all around then." Jimmy commented. Spike just groaned.

"Look, I didn't want them to break up alright?" Spike told him, making sure the others were out of earshot. "Look, we're going to be tardy..."

"It's the last week, what are they going to teach us?" Jimmy asked him. "They won't care!" Hell, they'd probably not care if we didn't show up at all!"

"Look, I didn't want..."

"Look, you already know that all I care about is my sister." Jimmy told him. "You know we've talked about this before."

"Yeah, I know..."

"The deck's clear." Jimmy told him. "I'm not saying that you should jump now that she's on the rebound."

"I wasn't planning to..."

"All I'm saying is, we have all summer." Jimmy said with a little smile, shoving Spike gently as they headed for class. "Just don't rush anything and we'll be cool."

Meanwhile, at the Shiba House, Jayden and Antonio were in the garage, working on a little project in the SUV. Jayden wasn't really much into tech, but considering the fact that most of the others were spending the time they weren't training, they were out of the house, making sure they kept their other priorities in order. Now, more than ever, it was clear that focussing nothing but training and fighting would never work on its own. Now, more than ever, they had to remind themselves of the things they were fighting for. Despite finding sitting around in the garage as dull as listening to Mia talk about weddings; it did give him time to spend with Antonio on his own.

"Phillips head." Antonio called out, holding out his hand. Jayden reached into the tool box and pulled out a screwdriver, handing it to Antonio. The Gold Ranger went back to the wiring hanging down from the dashboard, and tightened a few connections.

"Are you nearly done yet?" Jayden asked him.

"Almost." Antonio answered as he continued to work.

"Well, maybe you could at least tell me what you're doing." Jayden asked him. "The Sat Nav worked just fine the last time I checked."

"Trust me, it never worked like this." Antonio assured him.

"Please, we've been out here for ages." Jayden complained. "Maybe if I knew what we were doing, it would make it a little more interesting."

"How about I just show you instead?" Antonio said, closing up the dashboard and tightening the screws in place. He pulled away, smiling as he turned it on. Jayden just looked to the screen, and then to Antonio, shrugging.

"And?" Jayden asked him. "It's just the same!"

"Ah, it's just the same NOW." Antonio told him with a little smile. "I upgraded it by putting a police scanner and a direct relay to the Gap Sensor Network in there, together with my own special software that interlinks them all into one handy dandy little all-in-one..."

"You know, the techno-speak is cute and all, but what does it do?" Jayden asked him. Antonio just smiled at him. He moved across, letting Jayden into the passenger seat as he gestured back to it.

"Basically, it's a fancy way of saying that this will now function exactly like the map in the Living Room." Antonio explained more simply. "That's right; I just took the first stage in turning this baby into a mobile command centre!"

"That's...that's actually pretty...that's a really good idea!" Jayden stated.

"Hey, don't sound too surprised!" Antonio chuckled, shoving him playfully. "I've run my idea past Ji, and he's arranged for some parts to get delivered. Once this thing is finished, it'll do a lot more than take a family on a camping trip in complete comfort."

"You are pretty amazing." Jayden answered, looking to him. He took Antonio's hand gently. "So, how about we take this thing for a spin?"

"Uh...only the Sat Nav has changed." Antonio told him. "It's still the same old..."

"Yeah, I do more than go looking for Nighlock." Jayden reminded him. "I just thought you'd, you know, maybe like to go and do something outside of a stuffy old garage?"

"I think we could do that." Antonio said with a little grin. They both fastened their seatbelts as Antonio started up the engine. "I think I know somewhere you'd like to go."

In another part of town, Mia and Kevin were just coming out of a movie theatre, having spent the day taking in a movie. They were laughing as they came out.

"That was easily the WORST movie you've ever made me sit through!" Kevin chuckled. "Seriously, they should give out prizes for sitting through it!"

"For once, I agree with you." Mia giggled. "Did you see how corny the acting was?"

"I swear the performances were as shaky as that set that was meant to be the church for the wedding scene!" Kevin continued to laugh as he wiped some tears from his eyes. "And what the hell was the heroes' accent meant to be?"

"At least it wasn't as bad as Robtish's accent." She told him. She looked up, seeing Serena walking through the streets, carrying a large bag. Checking her watch, she furrowed her brows as she saw the time.

"Hey guys!" Serena called out as she saw them. "What were you doing?"

"Surviving two and a half hours of the worst film ever inflicted on a paying audience." Kevin told her.

"Really?" Serena asked. Mia just nodded in agreement.

"It was bad, even by my standards." Mia told her. "Serena, what's with all the gear? Its ages until the schools let out. Your training session doesn't start for hours!"

"Yeah, but I've got some serious catching up to do." Serena told them. "I wanted to talk to Kieran about where they are and fix up my lesson plan. It's been kind of chaotic lately."

"I guess it has." Kevin agreed.

"It'll also give me a chance to work on some of my own stuff for a while." Serena told them. "That power disk is still not giving me all it's got."

"Well, if anyone can figure it out, it's you." Mia complimented her. "I guess we'll see you back at the house."

"I guess so." Serena replied. "Don't wait up!"

As she left, Mia turned back to Kevin and they walked, arm-in-arm as they headed in the direction of the park. After so long in the theatre, they wanted to get a little fresh-air. Mia smiled a little.

"Serena seems a lot happier don't you think?" Mia asked. "Her time back home really seems to have helped."

"I guess there was too much around here to remind her of Stephen." Kevin agreed. "I guess a little while away must have really helped."

"I'm glad she's back though." Mia told him. "The place just didn't seem the same without her."

"I guess it didn't." Kevin agreed. "So, what do you feel like doing now?"

"You know what? I don't feel like doing much." She told him. "We've got ages before we need to be back at the house."

"I guess we do." Kevin agreed, holding her closely.

Dekker meanwhile, was sitting in the cave, pondering Serrator's latest visit. Although he had already decided that eventually their paths would cross as enemies, he had come to the conclusion that for now, they had to follow his plans.

Serrator had already told him that he was a part of his plan to split the world open, and cause the Sanzu to flood into the Earth. He had no idea what his part was in the plan, or indeed what it entailed, but he knew that if he went ahead with the plan, then the entire human world would be destroyed. Even with his constant hunger for battle, that was not something he wanted. Nighlock did not slake his thirst for combat. They were not truly alive, so his curse would not recognise them as conquests, even if they fought harder than any human opponent. With no humans left in the world, there would be no one left to satisfy his hunger until the day he was finally released from his curse.

His curse, another reason he wanted to be instrumental in Serrator's downfall. Although he had no memories, he had since been informed that the curse was Serrator's doing. It was a part of his plans to use Dekker all along, and so he had engineered a situation where he would be cursed with immortality, so that his frail, human form would survive until the time was right. He was the reason Dekker had no memory; he was the cause of his centuries of endless pursuit of his own destruction. He would make Serrator pay for his part in that and send him to oblivion.

He instead thought to the last part of Serrator's latest directive. He was to keep the Rangers on their toes, to weaken them where he could, and to stop them from regaining too much strength. His only explicit instruction was not to seek his destruction at the hands of the Red Ranger until after Serrator had managed to regain his strength and put his own plan into action.

"So, I am to keep the Rangers busy? Sounds like fun." He stated. He placed Urumasa back into its hiding place, and ensured it would not be found, before picking up the Bane of Life and heading for the mouth of the cave purposefully. "Let the games begin."

In another part of town, Brenda was sitting in her car, just outside of a restaurant, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. She was still only back a few days a week, but after the first couple of weeks, it was no longer possible to make do with just doing paperwork. She had spent so much time in her office; she no longer had anything to catch up on. This was the hardest part of her recovery; it would be her first inspection since she was shot.

Ji was sitting in the passenger seat for support. He knew that a part of her job was to inspect restaurants to see if they were safe to operate, which needless to say meant that there were occasions people were far from happy to see her. Before the attack, she wasn't usually bothered by this fact, but now she was understandably nervous.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" Ji asked her. She just shook her head.

"I'm going to have to do this sooner or later." She told him.

"Well, I'll be here when you get back." He assured her. Brenda took a deep breath and got out the car, taking her pad and a pen with her. She straightened herself out as much as she could, before heading inside.

Ji watched her go, happy he could be there to support her. He was incredibly proud of the way she had come back from the attack. At one time, she was unable to even leave her apartment without him, terrified of the world. He knew that her work with the therapist was not over, and that it was unlikely it would be for some time, but seeing her open the door to the sandwich shop and head inside, he couldn't feel like it would be possible to love her more.

Just then, some civilians ran past his car in a panic. Ji just got out of the car and looked in the opposite direction of their flight, seeing what had caused them to run. Standing down the street, a little way off was Dekker. He hadn't made any moves yet; he was just standing in his Nighlock form, gripping the Bane of Life. The mere sight of him was enough to send people running for the hills. Ji cast a glance over to the sandwich shop, and saw Brenda and the owner talking. Clearly they hadn't noticed him. He was grateful for that much, hopefully he could find out what Dekker wanted and deal with him without involving Brenda.

"Dekker!" Ji called out. "What are you doing here?" Dekker just lifted his sword and charged towards Ji. Ji pulled out his morpher, changing quickly as he prepared to defend himself.

In the sandwich shop, Brenda was just continuing with her inspection. As usual, her presence had encouraged a few customers to leave, something that always put the proprietors of restaurants in a bad mood before she started.

She finished up, checking the temperature on the chilled unit the ingredients were held in, and scribbled down a few notes.

"Alright, all your temperatures and hygiene certificates seem to be in order." She told him, before pointing to some containers she had pulled out of the fridge. "However, I did find a few items that are past their use-by date."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that." The proprietor told her. "I'll get rid of it..."

"Alright, I'm satisfied that it's just a genuine mistake." She told him. "I'm going to write up an advisory notice, and schedule another inspection within the next month, but if I'm satisfied that it is a genuine blip, then there should be no need for a fine or any other action."

She handed him the pad, indicating where he was to sign. As the proprietor reached into his inside pocket, she felt her heart racing. She started to back away, but as he pulled out a pen, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was only then that she realised she hadn't handed him a pen, but the way he went into his pocket, she couldn't help remembering the attack. He just looked to her, a little curiously.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her. She just shook her head and took the pad back, tearing off his copy of the notice and handing it to him.

"It's alright." She assured him. "Keep up the good work, and hopefully the next visit will be the last one you need for a while."

As she put her pad away in her purse, she suddenly felt a sense of relief, and even joy as she headed for the door. The whole thing had been nerve-wracking, but she had managed to get through it.

As she got outside though, she was just in time to see Ji spiralling through the air and landing on the ground, de-morphing before her. She ran to his side, and looked up, seeing Dekker standing a little way off. He turned back into his human form and smiled.

"Give the Rangers a message for me." He told her. "Tell them, the game is on."

With that, he disappeared into a gap. Brenda just helped Ji up, at which he started to limp, with her help, back to the car.

"Get me back to the house." He told her.

"Ji..."

"Please, just...get me back to the house." Ji told her. "I have supplies there."

Brenda hated this part of Ji, the part that wouldn't accept that he had his limitations, that he was in the end a human being. She reluctantly just helped him into the car, and headed to the drivers' side and started up the engine. Ji on the other hand could only mull over Dekker's words. The game was on...that meant they would see him again, and he doubted it would be long until they did.


	6. Ji's Message

Mike, Mia, Emily and Kevin made haste back to the Shiba House, rushing into the Living Room. Brenda was fussing over Ji as he tended to his injuries. He was holding a large pad to his side, which was, by now, covered in blood. He had numerous other bruises and cuts all over his body. Mia was the first to his side, taking over with the first aid kit. As talented as Ji was, there was only so much one could practically do to themselves.

"What happened?" Kevin asked him.

"Dekker attacked me." Ji told them. "It appears his focus is no longer exclusively on Jayden."

"Well, that's a...good thing?" Mike said, somewhat uncertainly. One of the things that was always troublesome about Dekker was that he always seemed intent on separating Jayden from the others and forcing him into the duel he had been seeking all along. However, in the end, it was also one of the things that kept them safe from him.

He never really bothered much with the others unless they were in his way, and when he was confronted by the team as a whole, he generally just left without incident. Knowing he would no longer be stalking Jayden for the first chance to get him on his own was good on one hand. They'd had kind of an unofficial policy of making sure he never went anywhere alone for some time for that reason. On the other hand, now it meant the whole team had that worry. Ji was living proof. Mike just furrowed his brows as this occurred to him. He was LIVING proof.

"Mentor, why didn't he kill you?" Mike asked him.

"Mike!" They all shrieked. He just looked at them defensively.

"No...I'm stoked, I mean, it's Mentor..."

"It is a fair question Mike, I know what you mean." Ji told them as Mia took the pad from him and winced as she saw the extent of a large, deep cut to his side. She immediately went into the first aid kit for sutures, needles and disinfectant. "He had me right where he wanted me. He could easily have finished me off. However, his intention never was to kill. He wanted me to deliver a message."

"What message?" Kevin asked him. Ji just looked to them.

"He just said...the game is on." Ji informed them as Mia continued to work.

"I don't think I'm going to like this game." Emily muttered, seeing the state Ji had ended up in. It wasn't that long since they had all been handed a terrible beating by Xandred. Most of them were healing up well, but most of them still had a few nagging aches from that. It was only good fortune that Xandred had also done enough damage to his own side that they hadn't been involved in anything major league while they recovered. Of course, Dekker had been absent from that battle, and now it looked like that might have been part of the web Serrator seemed to have been weaving all along.

Just then, Jayden and Antonio came in. They had been delayed slightly on their way back. Jayden saw Ji and immediately started to make his way over, but Ji held up his hand to stop him.

"I am fine, I assure you." Ji told him.

"Well, that's a matter of opinion." Mia said sarcastically as she continued to stitch him up. "Congratulations by the way, those ribs you hurt before? One of them is now broken."

"What happened?" Jayden demanded. "Who...?"

"Dekker." Kevin interrupted, filling Jayden in on what had happened. "He did this to send a message; he said...the game is on."

"Game?" Jayden asked. This troubled him; Dekker was not one to play games. Generally when he got involved in a battle, it was straightforward, the fight was for keeps. He didn't really care much for causing pain or suffering, and didn't have the patience for plans more sophisticated than getting his intended target on their own. No, this didn't sound like something from Dekker's playbook at all. "Serrator!"

"But...we all saw the state he was in when Xandred blasted him." Kevin commented. "He's..."

"No, Dekker said he was working for Serrator before." Jayden clarified. "Remember? He said he was a sword for hire."

"This does sound a lot more like something Serrator would pull than Dekker." Mike agreed. "So, what do you think 'the game' is?"

"Serrator's plans have been delayed." Jayden told them. "Think about it. You saw what happened to Dayu and Serrator. If anything, they were left in a worse state than we were after that battle. Serrator said Dayu's Harmonium was part of his plan, and we all know it's taking us a while to get back to form..."

"So you think that Serrator and Dayu are too damaged to come back." Mike interjected. "It makes sense; we haven't seen either of them since then. They've only sent small fry since then."

"So, what do you think he meant by 'The Game?'" Emily asked, looking to Ji a little worried.

"I think the game may be something like this." Ji answered them. "I think Dekker's intent may be to stop us regaining too much strength while Serrator recovers."

"Alright, for the foreseeable future, no one goes anywhere alone." Jayden responded as he tried to think of how to proceed. "He's only half Nighlock, and he's entered the house before. Kevin and I will look through the books to see if there's any way we can bolster the security symbols around the house, there should be at least one place we're safe."

"What about Serena?" Emily asked. "She's at Kieran's place!"

"His place is protected too." Jayden reminded her. "Once we know how to bolster the security symbols we'll send her the information how, but until then, call Kieran. It's probably safest for now if she stays there. Like I said, no one can go anywhere alone."

"I'll just get Brenda home." Ji told them, reaching for a shirt. He just stopped and grunted as he reached for it. Brenda just picked up the shirt and handed it to him.

"Ji, this isn't a good idea." Jayden stated. "Kevin, you and Mia take Brenda home..."

"Jayden, I will go..."

"Ji, we can't let anyone go anywhere alone!" Jayden told him.

"But if Kevin..."

"Ji..." He just breathed a sigh and shook his head dejectedly. He didn't want to say it, but he thought he had to. "Ji, you're in no fit state for the field."

"I am ready to fight any time!" Ji snapped in response. "I have served this family for years! I am the Mentor..."

"And I am the Shogun!" Jayden interrupted him. He hated pulling rank on Ji like that, but he knew his father-figure well. He would not willingly stand down, no matter how badly he was injured. If he was able to hold a sword, he would go into battle. "You are in no state to go into the field."

"You're benching me?" Ji asked him. Jayden just reached out his hand.

"I'm sorry, but it has to be this way." Jayden told him. "Hand over your morpher."

Ji took out his morpher and handed it over to Jayden, before heading into his room. Brenda could see that no one was particularly happy about this move. She just looked to Kevin and Mia, handing them the keys to her apartment.

"Could you go to my place and pack some things for me?" She asked them.

"Brenda?" Kevin asked her.

"Where do you think I'm going to be safer, there or here?" Brenda asked him shortly. Before anyone could protest, she made her way into Ji's room.

She found him there, holding his shirt in his hands, looking at himself in the mirror. He was inspecting the damage, but at the same time, she could see what was going through his mind. She just came over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I sent the others to get some of my things." She told him. "I'll be staying here until you're better."

"Now even Jayden doesn't have faith in me." Ji sighed sadly. She just shook her head.

"I really doubt that." She told him. "He's..."

"He's been humouring me!" Ji put down flatly. "Ever since I got my powers, I always promised that I would only continue to operate in the field as long as I could pull my weight. I always said that as soon as I felt like a burden to the team that I would..."

He just looked back to the mirror and shook his head.

"I know it takes longer for me to recover. I know that on occasion I am a step behind the others." He told her. "Maybe he's right. Maybe I am a useless old man."

"Ji, you can't possibly believe that!" She told him. "I have seen you do some incredible things! Most people half your age would be thrilled to do some of the things you can!"

"Then why did Jayden bench me?" Ji asked her. "It's because he knows..."

"It's because he knows that you're hurt, and he doesn't want to see anything worse happen to you!" She assured him. "I don't like the way he handled this, but he didn't do this to hurt you. He did this because he loves you."

He just sat on the bed, and she joined him.

"Ji, you have no idea how scared I was when I saw you hurt." She told him. "I'll admit, it always scares me when I see you fight. The inside of my car is still covered in your blood..."

"I'll pay for the cleaning..."

"I couldn't give a damn about the car Ji!" She told him. "I really want you to take this seriously. I want you to take the time you need to heal, just like you insisted I do."

"But I..."

"You are their mentor." She told him. "What would you have said if it was Emily?"

He fell silent for a moment.

"What about Mia, or Mike? Antonio, Kevin, you would bench them in a second if you thought they would be putting themselves in danger needlessly." She continued. "What about Jayden? What would you do if it was Jayden?"

"I would try and talk some sense into him." Ji answered. "If he didn't listen, I'd probably force him to give up the morpher."

"You're a good man Ji, but no one wants to lose you." Brenda told him. "I don't want to lose you."

"Neither do I." Jayden stated as he came in the doorway. He looked to Brenda. "Could you...?"

"If you're going to upset him, I'm going nowhere." She said coldly. She understood why Jayden had done what he had, but she hated the way he had done it. Ji was already self-conscious about his place on the team, and to strip him of his morpher in front of the others like that had to be nothing short of humiliating. Ji just gestured to her to go.

"I'll be fine." He assured her. Brenda got up and left the room, but brushed past Jayden, bumping his shoulder to make a point about her message to him. Jayden just looked back to Ji.

"I've got a problem there haven't I?" He asked.

"You have no idea." Ji commented with a little smile.

"What she said was true Ji; this isn't about your age." Jayden assured him. "It's just like she said. You're hurt..."

"You are too." Ji reminded him, gesturing to some of Jayden's burns. Jayden just nodded.

"Ji, you remember what you always told me?" Jayden asked him, with a look of concern on his face. "There's a difference between being hurt and being injured."

"You can fight through hurt." Ji answered. "You only fight injured if you have no choice."

"Otherwise you only put yourself and your team in danger." Jayden concluded. Ji just looked to the floor.

"This isn't the first thing that has made me feel this way." He admitted. "I know that it takes me longer to heal. I know that I may miss a step now and then behind you and the others, but I've never felt like I couldn't contribute."

He then just let out a little laugh.

"Master Phant could still go on the field in his seventies." He recalled, thinking about his friends in Ocean Bluff. "I don't know how he did it."

"He did it because he wasn't just fit, he was also smart." Jayden reminded him. "He accepted that he had limitations. He only took to the field when he had to."

Ji just looked to Jayden as he took a seat near him.

"One of the things we have missed is the intel from this end." Jayden told him. "With you in the field, there's no one here tracking things in the field, sometimes all we have is what we can see in the heat of battle. You have done so much of the stuff we needed done behind the scenes."

He then took Ji's hand and smiled.

"Do you remember your first battle?" He asked him. "You took out General Gut and Professor Cog pretty much single handed."

"You and the others had done a lot of the work..."

"Ji, no one is ever going to question your value in the field." Jayden assured him. "And if they do, they will have me to answer to. But just like Master Phant, I think you should..."

"Remember my limitations." Ji sighed.

"I checked it up, and a lot of the old Ranger teams' sixth Rangers tended to come into the battle late." Jayden told him. "They were kind of a reserve weapon, something at full power to come in when needed to break a deadlock."

"Like I did with Professor Cog and General Gut." He remarked. Jayden just nodded his head. He pulled out Ji's morpher and held it up.

"I'm going to give this back to you as an act of good faith." Jayden told him. "I trust you to take the time you need to recover and not take any stupid risks."

Ji took the morpher back gratefully.

"From now on, I want you to concentrate on your duties here." Jayden told him. "You can always be called on to help if we need you. I would gladly fight by your side against anyone."

"Thank you." Ji answered. "I suppose my failing was not my age, but my pride."

"Well, they say wisdom comes with age." Jayden complimented him. "You figured that out pretty quickly."

Jayden hugged him gently, taking care not to hurt him, before looking back to him.

"So, are we alright?" He asked him.

"I will be." Ji stated. "At least, I will be in a few weeks once these all heal up."

Jayden got up and headed out of the room, finding Brenda waiting outside. Jayden stood, stroking the back of his neck nervously. He had made amends with Ji, but he knew that Brenda was not happy either. He just looked to her.

"I've talked to him." Jayden told her.

"What do you want from me, a medal?" She asked him coldly.

"Listen, I know I could have handled that better..."

"Damn it Jayden, you're his son!" She snapped at him. "You know what he means to me, so in some ways, as much as I really don't like you right now, that makes us family. You and me, we're closer to him than anyone. You know what this kind of thing does to him."

"I know, I'm sorry..."

"He has done everything for you, and you repay him by cutting him off at the knees in front of your whole team!" She snapped at him. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm..."

"You may be the Shogun in here, but guess what, I'm not a Samurai, so to me that doesn't mean a damned thing!" She interrupted him. "I know you love him, so do I, and as such I know I have to accept that you'll always be a part of his life. But if you ever make him feel like that again..."

"I won't, I promise." Jayden told her. "He's really lucky to have you. Kevin and Mia should be back soon with your stuff. You're welcome here as long as you want."

With that, Jayden just turned and left, heading back to the main room to get back to the others to discuss what to do from here. Brenda meanwhile just went back into Ji's room, and came over to him. He just looked to her.

"I heard raised voices." He told her.

"I thought you might." She answered. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. You have no idea how long it has been since anyone stood up for me like that." Ji assured her with a smile. Indeed, it had been some time. The last person who did was Miko, the first woman he had loved. "It's actually kind of a turn-on."

"Really?" She asked him, coming over and starting to kiss him softly. She backed away a little. "Ji, I don't want to hurt you."

"I'll be fine if I remember my limitations." He assured her, turning her over onto the bed and taking her off her glasses. "You let me worry about that."

In another part of town meanwhile, Dekker returned to his cave, and took a seat, propping the Bane of Life up against a rock. He started up a fire, and started to think about what he had done. The battle with the Black Ranger had been short, but somewhat satisfying. He was a strong, and capable warrior. He could feel his hunger satiated a little, knowing the only thing that would have satiated it any more would have been if he had taken his life into the bargain.

Of course, he knew it wasn't yet the time. Serrator was his main concern right now, but having felt his hunger subside a little, he was starting to gain a greater appreciation for Serrator's game. It had a fringe benefit to it.

He took a long stick from the fire, and started to draw symbols on the floor of the cave, beginning with the symbol for "Earth".

"You fought well Black Ranger, perhaps when the game is over, you will cross blades with me again." Dekker commented. Once he had finished drawing the six symbols on the floor, Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Forest and Light, he sat back and considered his options. He took a swig from a flask and thought for a moment. He picked up a small stone and looked to it.

"In the spirit of playing games." He commented, before throwing it in the air. He watched as it came down, landing on the fire and rolling out, at which it came to rest on one of the symbols.

"Who am I to argue with fate?" He remarked as he turned his attention back to the fire. "Game on."


	7. The Next Player

It was pretty early in the morning when Kieran came out of the house, finding Serena in the yard practicing. The morning air was split by her cries as she swung Kasamune through non-existent opponents in her routine.

He had gotten the call a couple of days ago from Jayden asking him to let Serena stay at his place, one of only three places in the city that had symbols protecting against Nighlock attack. She swung around, the blade neatly ending up right in his centre-parting. He just laughed and put a couple of fingers on the blade, guiding it aside.

"You know, another few millimetres and this centre parting would have been permanent." He teased her. Although her sister wasn't too far away, less than an hour's walk from Kieran's house, it was clear she missed her badly. She had spent the last couple of days throwing herself into her practice with gusto. Given the heightened security concern, no one was going anywhere alone, and without a single Ranger at his place, that meant Serena was pretty much grounded. She just shook her head.

"Kasamune won't cut anything the Blessed Warrior doesn't want it to." She told him. He just gestured to a nearby log and took a seat on it.

"I'm pretty sure getting smacked on the head with a big piece of metal would have hurt none the less." He chuckled as she sat down. He offered her a bottle of water, which she accepted gratefully. "I've...well, I can be pretty full on with my training, but I've never seen someone go at it like this."

Serena pulled the octagonal power disk off the hilt of Kasamune and showed it to him.

"I'm still trying to get this thing to work." She told him. "Stephen made it before..."

Her words tailed off and Stephen just nodded in understanding. He knew all about Serena's story, and the loss she had suffered. Even though he had never met Stephen personally, he was always kept up to date on the developments in the war.

"You'll figure it out when you need it, I'm sure." He said to her as he looked to her.

"I just really want to figure this out." Serena stated. "I know this is the key to getting rid of Dekker. I know Kasamune is the key to ending it. With the way he's stalking my family..."

"Serena, you know better than anyone that Symbol Power doesn't work properly when you try and force it." Kieran reminded her.

"I know it's just...it's...gah!" She growled as she drove Kasamune into the ground in a fit of temper. "If he'd just told me about this power disk, if he'd just told me how the damn thing works...If he'd told me what the bloody thing does!..."

"Serena, calm down. If he made it for you, then I'm sure he was confident you'd figure it out." Kieran assured her. He put his arm around her as she leant forward, staring to the ground dejectedly. "It's never easy to lose someone, especially when they leave you with responsibilities."

She just looked up to him as he spoke.

"When I lost Karen, Cody was little more than a baby. I didn't know how I was going to manage. She was always the one that knew what he needed. Whenever he cried, she was the one that knew what he was calling for." He told her. "I can't remember how many times I felt like she abandoned me with him, or how many times I got frustrated by the fact I was dealing with things on my own. In the end though, there was a time where it all just seemed...easier."

"What happened?" Serena asked him. He just shrugged.

"I really don't know." He told her. "I can't even remember when things started to fall into place, they just kind of did."

Serena looked back to the power disk and sighed.

"I know this is the key to everything." She told him.

"Keys only matter when you know what they open." Kieran said, pulling his best impression of Mentor Ji. Serena just burst out laughing as she heard this. Just then, Cody came up to them, carrying his bag. Kieran looked to his son and smiled.

"So, you're off to school?" He asked him. Cody just nodded.

"Yeah, only three days left including today." Cody answered excitedly.

"Yeah, I heard you were switching schools." Serena answered.

"Forget school, I'm stoked about the holidays!" Cody told her. As he ran off, she couldn't help laughing.

"Kids, they don't change do they?" She asked. Kieran just nodded.

"He has changed; he's grown up so much." He told her. "Sometimes I wish he would stay the same forever, but I can't help being proud of him. I don't know how he's grown up the way he has."

"I'd say he has a pretty good dad." Serena told him. Kieran got up and went into the house, before reappearing a little while later, carrying his family's katana. He looked to Serena and smiled.

"It's been a while since I crossed blades with someone other than a student." He told her. "What do you say?"

"We're all students as long as we're willing to learn." Serena replied in her best impersonation of Mentor Ji. She took up Kasamune and headed out to the middle of the yard as Kieran laughed. She took up a guard and cocked an eyebrow. "Well, what about it old man?"

"Oh, you are so going to pay for that." Kieran answered as he took up a stance, beginning to circle her in preparation for the bout.

Back at the Shiba House, Ji was in the house alone. Brenda had gone to work after he assured her he wouldn't need her, and the Rangers had all gone out, going about their business meaning he was now in the house himself.

None of them were allowed to go anywhere alone, the Shiba House, by nature of its protective symbols was one of the few places any of them would be safe alone. While he hadn't yet figured out how to extend its protection to half-Nighlock like Dekker, the only reason Ji was confident he wouldn't come after him again was because he appeared not to have any desire to kill any of them.

He was already injured, so badly that he had been barred from going into the field. It wasn't as though he didn't understand why, as Brenda had pointed out, if it had been any of the others, he would have made the same decision. It still just bothered him to know that right now, there was little he could do to help if they ran into trouble.

As he made his way into the Living Room, the house was quiet, too quiet. Although it was an adjustment when the Rangers came to him, finding the house never completely clean, never having any peace, some kind of argument or disaster occurring at every hour of the day, now he was finding it completely alien any time the house was empty. It just felt wrong somehow, and he was now finding himself wondering the opposite. How had he ever managed when it was just him and Jayden?

He took a seat and clicked on the television, putting it onto one of the daytime chat shows. He rarely watched daytime TV, but in his current state, he was making an exception. It wasn't like he was fit to train. He flicked through a few channels, before finding something he was able to watch. He laughed as the punch-line to one of the jokes came.

"Sheldon Cooper." He sniggered as he shook his head in disbelief.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Mia and Kevin were wandering through the shops. Kevin was carrying the bags, while Mia dragged him through the mall. He stopped as he saw where they had ended up and groaned.

"Seriously?" He asked her. "Another wedding shop?"

"Oh come on, you love it as much as I do." She told him.

"Mia, I don't think anyone would love this as much as you do." He teased her. "Come on, we know we're not getting married until we've dealt with Xandred..."

"That doesn't mean we can't get ideas though." Mia told him.

"Mia, with the ideas you keep having, this thing is going to end up bigger than Will and Kate." He replied. Mia just rolled her eyes.

"I just want it to be perfect." She stated.

"As long as you're there, it will be." Kevin answered. Mia just smiled.

"That was so corny." She teased him. "Sweet, but corny."

"I'll tell you what, how about you go in and check things out. I'll just wait out here with the bags." He told her. He just shrugged as she looked somewhat annoyed, but he had seen more wedding shops than he ever cared to in a lifetime. "What? You know what you want more than I do."

"Fine." She answered, heading inside. Kevin looked around, finding a bench to sit on, and sat down with the bags at his feet. He fished Antonio's earphones out his jacket, grateful that the Gold Ranger had lent them to him, and put them on, starting it up. He smiled as he recognised the first bars of "You Give Love a Bad Name."

"Bon Jovi." He commented. "Maybe Antonio's got better taste than I thought."

Meanwhile, inside the shop, Mia was starting to look around. She had been obsessed with weddings ever since she was a little girl, and it was a rare occasion she would return from a mall without having been in a wedding store, or with some kind of bridal magazine. There were a couple of women in the back, fitting a guy for a suit, so Mia just started to quietly check out some of the displays to let them get on with it. One of the assistants came over, smiling at her.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"I'm just browsing right now." Mia assured her. "My fiancé and I haven't even set a date yet."

"Well, there's no harm in looking right?" The girl asked her. "So, where is the lucky man?"

"He's outside." Mia told her. "I guess he's getting sick of all the wedding stuff. I'm kind of a nut..."

"It's a bride's prerogative right?" She asked in response. "I'm in the middle of helping a customer with some suit fittings, but how about I finish up there, and I can show you some of our invitation options?"

"I have one option for an invitation." The man stated, turning around. Mia's eyes opened, remembering the image she had seen in Dayu's dream as he turned around. She realised to her horror that the man was Dekker. The shop assistants shrieked in terror and ran from the shop as fast as they could as he turned into his Nighlock form, shredding the suit and produced the Bane of Life, levelling it in her direction. Mia just pulled out her Samuraizer.

"Go Go Samurai!" She cried out, morphing into her Ranger form and pulling out her Spin Sword.

Elsewhere, some fishing rods were lined up by a stream, each of them with a bell attached to attract attention should there be a bite. Their owner, meanwhile, had other things on his mind at that exact moment. A little way off, Antonio and Jayden were sitting on a blanket kissing passionately.

They weren't ashamed of their relationship, not in any way. Unfortunately though, they had experienced a few stares and had seen people whispering. They could both really live without that part of things, so they always enjoyed it whenever they had some time to just go somewhere quiet like this, somewhere they would just be alone, somewhere they could just enjoy the feelings they had for each other.

Jayden didn't really care much for fishing, he never had. However, he knew that one of the advantages of Antonio's obsession was that he often went to streams well off the beaten track. Privacy was not hard to come by when he did. As much as he loved having the other Rangers in the house, with seven people living there, currently eight if he counted Brenda, there was almost no time to just be by themselves.

Jayden parted from Antonio a little way and smiled.

"You know, you have left those rods for quite a while." He reminded him.

"They have bells." Antonio reminded him. "There are more important things right now."

"Have I ever told you how much I love fishing?" Jayden replied as he moved in closer. As they were about to kiss, they were interrupted as their Samuraizers bleeped. Antonio scrambled to his feet and ran to the SUV, checking on the mobile scanner.

"There's a signal at the mall." Antonio told him.

"Didn't Mia and Kevin say they were doing the groceries there?" Jayden asked. Antonio got into the drivers' seat, starting up the engine, while Jayden opened up communications to the others.

"Mike, there's a strong signal at the mall." He told him. "It looks like Dekker's back."

Over at the mall, Kevin had his eyes closed as he listened to Antonio's I-pod, waiting for Mia to return. He didn't notice his Samuraizer bleeping because of that.

Just then, he was knocked off the bench and sent flying. He rolled over, only to see Mia de-morphing and lying in a heap, not moving. He rushed to her side, cradling her in his arms.

"It looks like a two for one special." Dekker stated as he stepped out through the broken window of the shop. Kevin got to his feet, glaring at him. Just then, the other Rangers ran around the corner into view. Dekker just smirked.

"Perhaps another time." He suggested. "Your fiancée is good. She's just not good enough. Tell her that some day she might be."

With that, he disappeared into a gap. Kevin turned his attention back to Mia, holding her in his arms as the others finally got to them.

"Mia!" Emily shrieked. "What happened?"

"She was just in that shop." Kevin told her. "I didn't go in with her."

"Why the hell not?" Emily screamed at him, shoving him aggressively. "You heard Mentor, we're not meant to go anywhere alone!"

"I was just bored with all the wedding stuff!" He said guiltily as he looked to Mia's unconscious frame. "I'm...I'm sorry..."

"This isn't helping anything." Jayden reminded them. "Let's get her back to the house. We can figure out what to do there."


	8. Melanie's Intervention

As the day wore on, Melanie couldn't help glancing over to where Mal was sitting. She knew that, in the meantime, he was staying at Spike's place, but she couldn't help feeling like it was all her fault that he had fallen out with his family.

She closed up her notebook as another class finished. She didn't really know or care what class she was in, the teachers had pretty much given up on teaching the kids anything before the holidays and were just whiling away the last week. As she left the class, thoughts raced through her head.

She liked Mal, she liked him a lot. He had done a lot for her, he had been there for her at a time when no one else would have given her the time of day. It was just wrong that when he needed it, no one was there for him, not even his family.

As she saw him chatting with Vicky and Jimmy in the hall, she made a decision. The teachers likely wouldn't care if she was there or not. Seeing Mal chuckling at something Jimmy had said, she smiled and was reassured that she was doing a good thing. She slipped out a side door, making her way out into the streets.

As she went, Vicky noticed her and nudged Mal, pointing to the door.

"Where's Melanie going?" She asked. Mal just shrugged.

"I guess she wasn't keen on the canteen food." He answered. "I can't blame her, its sloppy Joe day."

"Uh...are Sloppy Joes Kosher?" Vicky asked him. Mal just gave her a withering look.

"Do you have any idea how many rules there are?" He asked. "All I can do is obey the main ones if I don't want to end up spending my whole life reading labels. Besides, do you really think the staff here would know if it's Kosher?"

With that, he picked up a tray and got into line with the rest of the students, dutifully waiting for his turn.

Over at the Shiba House, Kevin was pacing impatiently while Ji was in the room he shared with Mia, checking on her condition. He couldn't help but blame himself for what had happened to her. He caught Emily glaring at him and he felt even worse, realising that clearly she blamed him as well. He had gone with her to the mall, he was meant to stick by her. He was meant to be there in case Dekker came back.

He was tired, he was bored...hell, it was exhausting listening to Mia when the subject came around to weddings, but he had just let her go into that shop alone. He just sat on a bench, listening to Antonio's music while Dekker fought the woman he loved more than life itself, beating her to within an inch of her life. He could now believe Antonio's story about the time that he was so busy listening to music while he fished that he didn't notice the others calling for him. Unfortunately, it didn't make him feel any better. He still felt lousy.

Mike finally came out of the room, and looked to Kevin.

"She's awake." He told him. "She's asking for you."

Kevin just wordlessly made his way into the room. The others looked around each other as he did so.

"Well, I guess we confirmed what Dekker's game is." Antonio commented.

"How is she?" Jayden asked him.

"Unfortunately Dekker appears to be taking his game very seriously." Mike informed them. "According to Ji, her pupils were unresponsive when she woke up, which is probably sign of a concussion. Her right arm is also broken."

"Then she's out..."

"Ji said it's a clean break." Mike interrupted them. "He still thinks it'll be about four weeks, maybe six before it'll be fully healed."

"Poor Mia." Emily moaned as she looked to Mike, wrapping her arms around him.

"That's us down two Rangers now." Antonio stated. "Not to mention without the Turtle Zord, our arsenal is more limited."

"Serrator's been relying on Dekker for the last little while." Jayden reminded them. "But that doesn't mean to say he's not planning on sending a Nighlock through to mix things up."

"Damn it!" Mike growled. "It's like we're just sitting here waiting for Dekker to call all the shots! He's just picking us off one by one! We're now weaker..."

"Maybe not." Emily rushed out as her eyes opened wide. Mike just looked to her curiously as she turned and ran off into her room, leaving all of the Rangers somewhat puzzled.

"What was that about?" Antonio asked. Jayden suddenly got a little smirk on his face.

"Guys, I think we should trust her." Jayden told them.

"You know what she's got planned don't you?" Mike asked in response. Jayden just nodded.

"I have a fair idea." He answered. "Come on guys, let's get back to work on those security symbols. The sooner we get those up and running, the sooner we can all start resting a little easier."

Meanwhile in Mia's room, Kevin just stood back, giving Ji some room while he applied a plaster cast. Both the bones in her right arm had been cleanly broken, and for the foreseeable future, she would need a cast to keep the bones in place until they healed. He was binding her arm from her hand to the elbow. Kevin just stood, not saying a word as he carried on with his work.

"Kevin, I'll be fine." Mia assured him.

"Yeah, no thanks to me." He muttered. Ji just looked between them as he finished up with the cast.

"It will be dry soon." He told Mia. "I'll leave you two alone."

As he left, Kevin just sighed.

"Mia, I'm sorry..."

"Kevin, you didn't break my arm. Dekker did." Mia reminded him.

"I shouldn't have left you alone." Kevin stated guiltily as he sat on the edge of her bed. "We were ordered not to go anywhere alone. I knew that Dekker was out there looking for any opportunity to attack one of us alone, and I just..."

"Kevin, you aren't the only one to blame." Mia reminded him. She shifted a little on the bed. "If you think about it, I let you go off alone too."

Kevin was about to answer when something hit him. She had a point. She insisted on going into the wedding shop when Kevin had told her he wasn't interested. She took his hand softly in her own.

"You were on your own too Kevin, it was a toss of the coin which one he went after." Mia reminded him. "I guess I was just the unlucky one, and I guess I paid for it."

"I still don't feel good about the fact you got hurt." He told her.

"It's not like I'd have felt any better if you were the one Dekker had attacked." Mia told him. "I'll heal up. It was never his intention to kill me Kevin. We both know that."

"But you can't fight like that." Kevin stated. "We're now down another Ranger."

Just then, the Gap Sensor sounded. Mike and Emily ran into the room, gesturing to the main room.

"Kevin, the Gap Sensors are going crazy." Mike told him.

"Dekker?" He asked, his fists tightening in anger. He was just itching for a chance to get some payback. He knew taking Dekker on by himself would probably not do any good; it would be just what he wanted. Mike shook his head.

"Moogers, a ton of them." Mike told him. "They're attacking the harbour!"

"Go on Kevin." Mia told him. "I'll be fine here."

"Mia..."

"It's only Ji and I here." She reminded him. "He's already taken us out. He has no reason to come here."

"Mia..."

"Just go!" She told him. She caught a little glance at Emily, and saw her giving her a little nod, with a small smirk on her face. She just returned the gesture. "Go, seriously!"

Kevin and the others rushed out of the room, leaving Mia alone in the room. She just looked to the cast and sighed.

"I guess all I can do is wait until this thing dries." She commented. "Good luck guys."

In another part of town, Melanie was busy looking around the streets, trying to find the address. She had never really come into this part of town much, but she knew that Mal had said his place was around here somewhere.

As she wandered around, she finally found a mail box with Mal's surname on it. She just made her way to the front door, knocking on the door gently. She had a while to wait, and she was starting to think that no one was home, until finally the door opened.

A woman, a little taller than Melanie answered the door. She had soft, brown hair that was styled into a bob, and was wearing a light blue blouse and a black skirt. Melanie could see that around the nose and cheeks, the woman looked a lot like Mal, and she figured she had gotten the right house.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked.

"Mrs. Berkowsky?" Melanie asked her. "Um...I'm a friend of Mal's..."

Mrs Berkowsky just inspected Melanie thoughtfully for a moment. Melanie just sighed and took a step forward.

"My name's Melanie..."

"You should go." Mrs Berkowsky told her, recognising the name. She made to close the door, only for Melanie to put a hand on it.

"Mrs Berkowsky please, I don't want any trouble." Melanie told her. "It's just...please, give me just five minutes, and if you still want me to go, I promise I will."

Mrs Berkowsky just looked around nervously, almost like she was trying to think of what to do. Melanie just looked to her pleadingly.

"Just five minutes." She reiterated. "Please."

"Come in." She remarked, waving Melanie into the house. Melanie came in, at which Mrs Berkowsky closed the door behind her. She gestured her into the main room, where Melanie looked around. The mantelpiece was covered in pictures of Mal and his family. She couldn't help looking at the pictures, smiling.

"My husband isn't here right now." Mrs Berkowsky told her, pointing to the couch. Melanie took this as an invitation to sit down. "Please, he wouldn't be happy if he knew you were here. Just say what you have to."

Melanie took a deep breath and tried to think of how to begin. She wanted to help Mal, she hated to think that he was having trouble with his family because of her, and so far it looked like Mrs Berkowsky would be a lot more receptive to hearing her out than her husband, but as she looked to her nervously, she was starting to wonder how good an idea it really was.

Over at the harbour, the Rangers arrived, morphing as they went, and started to plough into the Moogers, allowing the people that were still panicking in the area to escape. Jayden was the first to the attack, taking down a couple of Moogers that seemed to be trying to throw a kid over the guard rail into the harbour.

"Get out of here kid!" He told him. "We'll keep them busy."

"How's this for therapy?" Mike asked as he called out his Forest Spear, beginning to tackle his own group with gusto. "Just imagine each one of these guys is Dekker."

"Way ahead of you!" Kevin snarled in response as he smashed a bunch of them apart. It wasn't really much of a substitute for getting his hands on Dekker and making him pay for what he had done to his fiancée, but right now, just getting to take out some of his anger on something was the best he could hope for.

Just then, Antonio saw something stirring in the water. He drew Jayden's attention to the disturbance, at which a Nighlock burst out of the water, landing on the dock between them, swiping at both of them, sending them flying.

"What the heck is that thing?" Antonio asked. "It has more teeth than One Direction and Big Time Rush combined!"

It was indeed a bizarre looking creature. It looked to have multiple jaws, all liked with razor sharp teeth. It was mostly white, and rushed around with incredible speed, lashing out at the Rangers, sending them flying in all directions. Antonio rushed to the attack, using all of his speed, but even with his additional speed, it looked like he was struggling.

Emily managed to finish off the last of the Moogers with her Earth Slicer, before turning her attention to the Nighlock. She caught a slight glimpse of it, seeing something on its back, a kind of dorsal fin.

"Alright guys, it looks like it's based on a shark!" She called out.

"OK, so what do we know about sharks?" Mike asked.

"They're constantly moving, and very fast!" Kevin answered as he tried in vain to hit it with energy arrows from his Hydro Bow. Unfortunately, the creature was far too fast for him to draw a bead on. Energy arrows missed it narrowly as the creature weaved nimbly through the attacks, before launching him backwards into some crates.

"We can't keep this up." Emily screeched as she threw her Earth Slicer, but the creature managed to duck that attack too, before sending her sparking to the ground with another harsh attack.

Jayden and the others all tried to regroup, standing in front of the creature as it came around for another attack. Just then though, something unexpected happened. A stranger arrived rushing up behind it, and leapt over it, lashing out with a weapon, sending its dorsal fin flying off, severed from its body, before corkscrewing through the air, landing in front of it, and catching it with an upward stroke.

They all looked to the new arrival, seeing that it was a Pink Ranger. Indeed, it was a Pink Samurai Ranger, right down to wielding a sky fan, the weapon that had been used to attack the Shark Nighlock. The only differences between this Pink Ranger and Mia though were that this one was marginally taller, and the costume didn't have a skirt. Indeed, upon closer inspection, the new arrival appeared to be male.

Emily ran over to the new Pink Ranger, bounding with excitement. She was carrying the Black Box as she came over.

"Terry, you came!" Emily screeched.

"I got to the Shiba House as soon as I could." He told her. "Mia told me you were out here. I guess the temp job starts a little early."

"Check it out, that Nighlock's struggling!" Mike stated, pointing out the Nighlock, floundering on the ground. Terry just pointed in its direction.

"A shark's dorsal fin is its centre of balance, without it, it can't swim properly." He explained. "I figured it was worth a shot!"

"Here, take this." Emily told him, handing over the Black Box. "You're playing catch up, so you may as well try out all the cool new toys."

"Only if you back me up." He remarked. Emily just nodded her head.

"The younger siblings have to stick together." She reminded him.

"Super Samurai Mode!" Terry called out as he activated the Black Box. Emily took the Shark Disk, activating the Shark Attack Mode to join Terry.

He rushed forward, powering up his Spin Sword and hacking at the Shark Nighlock wildly. Emily backed him up, whipping the Shark Sabre around, sending him spinning into the air. Terry called forth the Bullzooka, levelling it in the direction of the Shark Nighlock as he spun through the air.

"Let's see you dodge this!" He snapped as he pulled the trigger. With a huge explosion, the Shark Nighlock's first life came to an end. Jayden and the other Rangers all rushed to his side.

"Wow, you weren't joking when you said you'd been practicing." Mike complimented him.

"I'm not up to Mia's level." Terry told them. "I was just lucky I arrived part way through the battle and got the drop on him."

"Hey guys, it's not over yet." Antonio reminded them, gesturing to where the Shark Nighlock had grown to massive size, towering over them. Emily just put a hand on Terry's shoulder.

"The Turtle Zord and I have an understanding." Terry assured them. "I guess I was always going to have to take part in a Zord battle some time."

Back in the Berkowsky house, Mrs Berkowsky was sitting, listening to Melanie as she relayed her story. She couldn't really think of what to say, she couldn't really imagine what she could do to convince her to forgive Mal for disobeying them, so she just did the only thing she could. She told her what his actions had meant for her.

"With what happened to dad, to my family, I just...I didn't feel like I had a friend in the world." She told her. "I won't ever say that I was a good person. I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of, but this...this is easily the dumbest thing I've ever done."

She showed Mrs Berkowsky her scars, and looked to her pleadingly.

"I'll never be able to repay your son for what he did for me. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't be here today." She told her. "You should be proud of him."

"I am proud of him." Mrs Berkowsky assured her. "It's his father, he just...you have to understand. We know how much what he saw upset him. You can understand why we're worried."

"Please, what I did, it was the biggest mistake I'll ever make. I would never do anything like that again." Melanie assured her. "It's your son I have to thank for my second chance."

"My husband also told me about what he saw at the dance." Mrs Berkowsky told her. "We know that you care for Malcolm..."

"I owe him so much; I'd never to anything that would hurt him." She told her. "The last thing I want is for him to be at odds with you and your husband. If that means I can't be with him, then I'm willing to make that sacrifice."

"I think it's time you left." Mrs Berkowsky told her. Melanie just sighed and got up, but Mrs Berkowsky just put a hand on her shoulder. "I promise I'll try and talk to his father. You don't understand how stubborn he can be."

"I guess that's all I can ask." Melanie replied. "Thank you for your time Mrs Berkowsky."

With that, Melanie just left the house without protest. Mrs Berkowsky just sat on her easy chair, and buried her face in her hands. Melanie had given her a lot to think about, but more than anything she had left her with one thought. Her son had done something amazing, he had saved a life. She was proud of him in a way she couldn't imagine. Now all she could hope was that she could make her husband see things the same way.

Later, back at the Shiba House, the Rangers all got back with Terry, celebrating their victory over the Shark Nighlock. The battle had been a little rough around the edges, mainly down to Terry's inexperience with Zords and the Ranger technology, but the main thing was that in the end, they had managed to take him down.

They came into the entrance hall, at which Mia came up to them, smiling brightly. She hugged her brother tightly as she saw him.

"You did brilliantly!" She told him.

"Not as good as you." He answered. "I'm sure the others will be happy when you get back to action."

"Hey, don't put yourself down." Jayden told him. "You did pretty well."

"For a rookie." Kevin added, popping him on the shoulder. Terry just laughed.

"Well, I think we should celebrate." Mia told them. "After all, the hard work bringing my baby brother up to speed can start tomorrow."

"Hey, I'm ready for it." He told them. "Medical school will still be there next semester."

"Hey, who's up for Thai?" Antonio asked. The others all left to head into the main room, taking Terry with them, leaving Emily and Mia alone in the hall.

"I can't believe you called him." Mia stated. Emily just shrugged.

"He said he'd have replaced you if he could." Emily reminded her. "I guess now's his chance. He was only too happy to fill in. He said it goes some way to making things up to you."

"He doesn't have anything to prove to me." Mia assured her. "But I guess you guys could use the help. I'm just sorry he has to miss out on his education."

"It's like he said, medical school will be there next semester." Emily told her. "Besides, he's already promised to tell me all about what it was like growing up with you."

As Emily ran from Mia, she just sighed and shook her head.

"Why can I see that not being a good thing?" Mia asked with a little chuckle as she went to join her friends.


	9. Testing New Ideas

Friday had come at long last, the last day of school before they broke up for the summer holidays. Now more than ever, there was a huge divide in the student population. While Spike and his friends were looking forward to their first days of freedom for the Summer, the Juniors and Seniors were looking forward to a couple of weeks of stressful exams. There had already been a few incidents in the week of the older kids "blowing off steam" at the expense of some of the smaller kids due to the pressure getting a little too much for them. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time when a stressed out senior was around was pretty much an open invitation to end up in a trash can or a locker. Generally speaking, it was just considered for the best to give any worried looking older students a wide berth.

Melanie and Mal were walking along the corridor, heading for their lockers. Something of a pointless gesture since most of the teachers had stopped actually teaching them anything at the beginning of the week, but turning up without books, like they were expecting to skive their way through their remaining few hours of school was just tempting fate. Melanie couldn't help smiling as Mal spoke to her, a lot more cheerful than he had been in a long time.

"I couldn't believe it when mom called, she never sides against dad!" He told her for the hundredth time. "We just talked for like an hour!"

"Well, I'm glad to see you looking a little happier." Melanie assured him. "Has your Rabbi...?"

"He's called my parents and me in tonight." He told her. "He's one of the few people my dad can't just ignore, so I know he's going to come."

"Well, I'm just glad things are working out for you." Melanie told him as they arrived. Mal just noticed the way she smirked as she looked away and got a little smile on his face.

"Melanie...did you...did you have anything to do with this?" He asked her. She just turned to face him.

"I may have had a word with your mom." Melanie told him, clutching some books to her chest.

"Well, whatever you said seems to have helped." Mal answered, drawing closer. "You have no idea what this means to me."

"I think I might have an idea." She said as she reached around him with her one free arm and hugged him tightly.

"Uh...I know it's a lot to ask." Mal told her. "But..."

"Well, I guess a movie is one idea." She interrupted him. "But I guess going to a synagogue wouldn't be a terrible way to spend the first few hours of the holiday."

Mal looked to her, and his heart beat a lot faster. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened between them at the dance. It was just unfortunate that he had so much on his mind that they hadn't spoken about it since then. He couldn't believe that she had done what she had. She knew how hard things had been for her in the last couple of months, and he doubted her talk with his mom could have been easy for her. Still, she had done it, and more than that, she was willing to be with him when he talked to his parents. As they just stared at each other for a moment, they were interrupted by a gentle cough.

"Um...are we interrupting something?" Jimmy asked them. Vicky and Spike were with him, a little way behind him.

"I guess not." Mal sighed.

"Oh come on, cheer up guys, it's the last day!" Jimmy reminded them. "And we have a little surprise!"

"Yeah, check this out!" Spike stated, showing them a flyer. "My dad couldn't have me over for Summer and felt bad about it, so he arranged this for us."

"It's one of those paintballing places!" Vicky told them, bouncing with excitement. "Apparently one of the guys on Mrs. Skullovitch's SWAT team runs it. He has a camp out in the country and everything!"

"My dad's arranged for us to spend a whole week there!" Spike screeched. "Cody can come too! We've all got a place!"

"Uh, sorry but I've kind of got plans for this week..."

"That's the best part, it's a couple of weeks until the older kids get out!" Spike informed them. "There'll only be another couple of groups, we can go any time in the next couple of weeks!"

"Well, mom and dad didn't have a holiday planned for us." Vicky stated. "I think we should be able to go."

"A holiday isn't really in the budget this year thanks to my dad." Melanie informed them. "Are you sure...?"

"Believe me, dad's feeling super guilty about not having me for the summer break." Spike reiterated. "He's already told me he's happy for all of us to go, as long as it's alright with our parents."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask." Mal chipped in with a shrug. "Now all we have to do is talk to Cody."

"This would be so cool if we could go!" Jimmy screeched. "This would be so awesome!"

"I've never been paintballing before." Vicky added.

"Oh, mom took me a bunch of times." Spike assured them. "The guy that runs it used to train the SWAT teams, it's totally safe, and a lot of fun!"

"Well, let's just hope our parents agree." Melanie chipped in as the bell rang. "It sounds like it should be a blast!"

Meanwhile, over at the Shiba House, training had begun, and the Rangers were in the yard, taking Terry through his paces. Although he had agreed to take Mia's place in the interim, and he had shown himself to be willing to take the risks that it entailed, they needed to be sure he was up to the task.

He had been taught in his family's Martial Arts since a young age, and he had some knowledge of Symbol Power, the fact was that he was not on the same level as Mia. The rift caused in his family by his departure meant that he hadn't trained as exhaustively as she had. That, combined with the fact the Samurai had all spent well over a year at the Shiba House, pushing their limits on a daily basis meant that he was a significant way behind them. They needed to be sure exactly how far behind he was, and try to get him to up his game. As much as they were grateful for the help, the one thing they all knew was the team was only as strong as its weakest member, and they had to do what they could to identify his weaknesses and strengthen them as quickly as they could.

Mia was watching from the sidelines proudly as he showed them what he had on the mat. Right now, he was working with Kevin, the one they all considered the best all-rounder on the team with the exception of Jayden. The Red Ranger was standing beside Mia, observing the training session so he could gain an insight into what his strengths and weaknesses were. Emily was working with Antonio and Mike, but they all kept casting the occasional glance in Terry's direction to see how he was faring.

The answer was...not as well as he would have hoped! Despite the fact that Kevin would eventually become Terry's brother-in-law all going well, he was not going easily on him. Terry found himself crashing to the mat yet again, and his arm twisted, forcing him to drop his bokken.

"Alright, that should be enough for just now." Jayden told them. "Kevin, go and work with Antonio. Terry, hold up for a minute."

Jayden stood before Terry as he tried to catch his breath. Mia could see the disappointment on his face. Terry already knew that he would be coming onto the team from the back of the pack, but his first battle, as rough around the edges as it was, had buoyed his spirits somewhat and given him some confidence. Clearly this training session had taken some of that from him.

"Alright, your unarmed combat technique is a little rusty." Jayden gave him his honest assessment. It was something of a subjective assessment, anyone watching Terry would believe that he was more than capable of competing in tournaments and making a good showing for himself. Of course, compared to the other Samurai, it was more along the lines of 'must try harder'. "Your sword work, well, your stances were off, you managed to unbalance yourself on a few of your techniques, and..."

"Alright, I get it." Terry told him with a deep breath. "I guess..."

"For a first attempt, it was pretty good." Jayden assured him with a smile. "Alright, why don't you take a breather for five minutes, then meet me in the dojo. We'll see where you're up to with your symbol power."

As he left, Terry made his way over to the bench and sat with his sister. Mia put his arm around his shoulders as he sat with her and picked up a bottle of water.

"Terry..."

"Your fiancé completely creamed me." Terry muttered. "You saw that training session, he wiped the floor with me!"

"Terry, you haven't been training as hard as we have." Mia assured him. "You heard Jayden, he said you did well."

"Somehow I think he was just sugar-coating it because you were watching." Terry muttered. Mia just shook her head.

"Terry, Jayden's not like that, not when it comes to the safety of the team." Mia continued, stroking his back softly. "If he really thought there was a problem, he wouldn't mix words over it. You don't know how many times he told Mike he needed to step up and take things more seriously."

"Mia, you saw how easily Kevin..."

"Kevin's barely a step behind Jayden." Mia reminded him. "Terry, Kevin's trained non-stop for this since he could walk. I can't even remember the last time he took time off without being too badly hurt to stand upright under his own power. If you compare yourself to him, then you're always going to feel like you're behind. Even I know I'm not on his level."

"I guess I should really be heading inside." He told her, getting up. As he went inside, Mike, Emily, Antonio and Kevin all came across. Mia just watched him go inside, looking a little concerned.

"Maybe I should have gone a little easier on him." Kevin sighed.

"No, you were only doing what you knew was right." Mia reassured her fiancé, taking his hand as he helped her up. "Jayden needs to know what he needs to work on if he's going to improve. Your lives may depend on him."

"I thought he did pretty great in that Nighlock battle." Emily stated. "And from what I saw, he didn't do too badly for his first day."

"Yeah, he didn't do too badly." Kevin agreed. "He probably had better fundamentals than Mike."

"Yeah, he...HEY!" Mike responded, suddenly becoming a little irritated as he realised what Kevin had said.

"Hey, you got better." Kevin said with a shrug. "We just had to break you in."

They heard a crashing sound coming from inside the house, followed by the sound of Terry's voice apologising repeatedly. Mia just sighed and shook her head.

"He's good, he just needs a little...work." She told them, turning to face them. "Believe me, when we were kids, he was amazing!"

"I remember he gave me a run for my money when he sparred with me." Emily recalled.

"I think maybe he needs a little confidence." Antonio told them as a little smirk crossed his face. "What really helped me was being made to feel like part of the team."

"How do we do that?" Kevin asked them. Mike, Antonio and Emily all got evil smirks on their faces and looked to each other.

"Time to start hazing the new guy." They chorused together. As they ran off, heading into the house, Kevin just held his fiancée.

"That doesn't sound good." Kevin commented. "When those three put their heads together..."

"Terry can give as good as he gets." Mia said with a little smile. "Besides, maybe they have a point. We rip on each other all the time. If he's going to take my place, he should become a part of the team properly."

Meanwhile, at Brenda's apartment, Ji was in his study, working hard with his research into bolstering the security symbols. He had gotten Jayden and Kevin to drop them at her apartment to work in peace before trying it on the Shiba House. While he recovered from his injuries, he knew that there was little else he could do to help the team. He was clearly exhausted, and sweating badly as he finally cast the last stroke of a symbol. Brenda could only watch, hoping he didn't exert himself too much as he did so.

She saw the symbol glow for a second, before fading into invisibility. She just looked to Ji as he took a seat on the couch.

"So...is it working?" Brenda asked him. He let out a sigh, and shook his head. There was one slight flaw in his plan, one that he couldn't really do much about. The reason he had gone to her apartment as opposed to working on the Shiba House. The only way to test the security symbols was to have a half-Nighlock attack. To the best of their knowledge, only two half-Nighlock existed, Dekker and Dayu. None of them had seen Dayu since Xandred had resurfaced. Dekker knew better than to attack the Shiba House, where he would have to face the full team, and as far as anyone was aware, he didn't even know about Kieran's house, so he couldn't bring himself to put Kieran, Serena and Cody at risk by leading him there.

"There's only one way to find out." He told her. He caught his breath, and went to the window, casting a symbol down into the street. Brenda looked outside, and watched as the Green Ranger appeared in the middle of the street.

"Mike?" She shrieked. Ji shook his head.

"Not quite." He replied. Sure enough, a short time later, a gap started glowing and Dekker showed up. The Green Ranger started sprinting away with Dekker in hot pursuit.

Brenda could hear some commotion out on the stairwell. Ji had been careful to wait until everyone else in the apartment was out for the day, knowing that this was a risky plan.

The door burst open, and the Green Ranger burst in, running inside, before turning to the door. Dekker appeared at the top of the stairs as Brenda and Ji stayed out of sight.

"Nowhere left to run Green Ranger!" Dekker taunted him. He ran forward, raising the Bane of Life over his shoulder to strike. Brenda clung tightly to Ji as he approached, before a huge, red light filled the room. With a huge crack, Dekker was thrown back harshly into the wall at the opposite side of the hall.

Dekker got up, and approached the door slowly, pressing a hand into the doorway, but recoiled in pain as the barrier flashed. He looked through the doorway, and saw the Green Ranger disappear. Ji came out of his hiding place and confronted Dekker.

"Black Ranger!" He snarled. Ji just smiled.

"I know I am no threat to you like this." Ji told him. "I just needed to test this barrier out."

Dekker slammed a hand against it in frustration, before looking to Ji.

"So, this is your plan?" He asked him. "You plan to hide and cower from me?"

"You know as well as I do that Serrator is taking his time to recoup his strength." Ji answered. "Now, we can do the same."

"Impressive move Black Ranger." Dekker conceded. "But my game will continue. It will just be more...challenging."

"Do what you must Dekker." Ji sneered. "You will find no satisfaction here."

As Dekker disappeared, Ji slumped over, relieved that his new symbols had worked. Brenda came to his side, holding him softly.

"I am unhurt." He assured her. "Now we know that it works, I can work on doing the same at the Shiba House, and at Kieran's house."

"Ji, please, just take a seat." She begged him, closing the door over. She was grateful that Dekker hadn't hurt him, that his plan had worked. She knew that now meant that her apartment was safe from Nighlock attack. As long as he remained here, he would be safe until the others came to collect him. "I'll make some tea..."

"Please." Ji responded. He lay down on the couch, gathering his strength after exerting so much of it. Brenda came back in, sitting at the edge of the couch. The whole incident had been nerve-wracking, and both of their hearts were beating at a thousand miles an hour. Brenda was just grateful to see that he was unharmed, if a little tired from the effort.

"The kettle's on, the tea shouldn't be long." She told him. He just smiled gratefully as he reached to her face, cupping her cheek with his hand.

"How long does the kettle take to boil?" He asked her.

"Long enough." She answered. "How much energy...?"

"I have enough." He assured her, drawing her down and kissing her passionately.


	10. The Berkowsky Meeting

The school day had come to an end, and after a quick call home to her mom to explain that she would be home a little late, she and Mal made their way to the synagogue.

She had never really given much thought to religion if she was honest. Like most people, she gave gifts at Christmas and ate chocolate at Easter. She had been to a few weddings at churches, and she could vaguely remember attending her Grandfather's funeral when she was a young girl, but other than that, she wasn't really too knowledgeable about religion. Although she was always listed as Christian on all those forms that came through the door, she wasn't even too knowledgeable about what was supposed to be her own religion, never mind anyone else's.

As she got to the synagogue, she found herself feeling a little intimidated. She couldn't help feeling out of place. As they approached, Mal could feel her grip on his hand and pulled her closer to him.

"You don't have to be nervous." He assured her. "I called the Rabbi and told him you were coming. He was cool with it."

"I know, it's just..." She struggled to find a way to explain how she was feeling. Her stomach was knotting up, and she felt her skin crawling, like she was sure everyone was looking at her. "You know those movies where a vampire or a daemon or something walks into a church and they start burning up?"

"You don't need to worry, they're really welcoming here." He assured her. "Everyone came here for the first time at some point. Besides, even if you don't believe, it's not like there's some alarm or force field to repel you. Everyone's welcome as long as they respect people's right to worship."

She felt a little better, but not by much. As they got inside, Mal found the Rabbi waiting for him. He smiled as he saw the teenager and came closer, shaking his hand.

"I'm glad to see you came Malcolm." He greeted him. "This must be the girl I've heard so much about."

"Um...yeah, I'm Melanie." Melanie answered nervously, trying to figure out what he would have heard about her, considering the rift between Mal and his parents was largely over their opinion of her.

"Well, I'm Rabbi Steinberg, but feel free to call me Sam." He introduced himself, shaking her hand. She felt a warmth in his grip, that made her feel a little more at ease. His expression gave no indication that he was judging her, or that he wasn't happy she was there. He gestured towards his office, letting them inside. Mal saw that both his parents were already sitting, waiting for them. Melanie could feel Mr Berkowsky glaring at her as she came in. Sam gestured them all in, beginning by shaking hands with each of Mal's parents in turn. Mal hugged his mom, and shook hands with his dad. Melanie decided to follow the cue and shook hands with Mrs Berkowsky, before offering a hand to Mr Berkowsky. However, he defiantly did not take it. Sam just sat at his desk and gave him a little look.

"David, Melanie is gracious enough to reach out a hand to you." Sam told him. "I would appreciate it if you would return the courtesy."

"But..."

"This is not the place to disrespect others or show unwillingness to welcome." Sam interrupted him. "Now, if you will?"

Mr Berkowsky reluctantly shook her hand, at which Melanie took a seat next to Mal. Sam smiled a little and looked around the room.

"Now, we all know why we're here, but I thought it would be best to clarify things so that none of us are being misled." He told them. "I am not here to take sides; I am here merely to ensure that you all talk and that things do not get out of hand."

He looked to Mal.

"It is always sad when a family is divided." He continued, before looking to his parents. "Everyone will get a chance to speak. I only ask that when someone is speaking, the others are able to give them the chance to do so."

Mr Berkowsky got up, at which they all turned to look at him.

"David, I suppose you would like to be the first to speak." Sam stated, gesturing for him to begin.

Meanwhile, back at the Shiba House, Terry was in the kitchen, standing by the freezer, looking for something. As Mia came in, seeing him, she chuckled and came over, taking out a bag of peas and handed it to him.

"I was looking for..."

"Emily swears by them." Mia told him. "Unlike ice cubes, they mould to shape the area you hold them to."

Terry took the peas from her and went to a chair, holding the bag to his left elbow. Mia got a couple of bottles of juice from the fridge, placing one in front of him.

"Apple's still your favourite right?" She asked him. Terry just nodded. "Pretty rough first day huh?"

"Sensei never used to take it to us like that." Terry agreed.

"We do things a little differently here." Mia told him. "It takes a little getting used to."

"Mia, there wasn't one thing..."

"There wasn't one thing that you did worse than someone on the team." Mia reassured him. "Mike and Emily's symbol power was as much a danger to them as the enemy when they got here, and you should have seen how many times I ended up on my butt when we were working without weapons."

"But there was at least something each of you excelled in." Terry told her. "Kevin told me that Mike was the best at hand-to-hand. You were always great with the power symbols..."

"Yeah, we all had something we were great at, that's true." Mia said, brushing some hair out of her face. "But you know what? Maybe that might not be such a good thing."

"OK, now you've lost me." Terry stated, setting the peas down on the counter, placing his elbow in them, and picking up the bottle of juice, taking a sip.

"Well, we found that when we excelled at something, we had a tendency to rely on that." She explained. "It makes it harder for us to concentrate on what we're weak at if we have something we excel at as a back-up plan."

"You're talking about penicillin." Terry answered. "One thing I learned at medical school was that when they didn't know what to do, a lot of doctors' fallback answer was to prescribe penicillin and wait to see what happens. It doesn't have a lot of bad side-effects, it helps a huge number of ailments...basically it's easier than trying to figure out a series of symptoms that could identify a few possibilities and risk screwing it up."

"The problem is though; penicillin doesn't fix everything does it?" She asked him. "Mike couldn't fix everything with his fists. There isn't a symbol for every situation. All it means is what we're weakest at; we have a harder time strengthening because we start from a lower point."

"So you're saying...?"

"I'm saying, you probably have the best all-round foundation any of us had when we came here." Mia said with a smile, putting an arm around him as she came to his side. "My fiancé and I do talk you know, and he told me he and Jayden agree on that."

"So, I'm not great at anything, but I don't suck at anything either." Terry summarised as he took another sip. "That's...something at least."

"You're going to be fine." She said reassuringly. She ruffled his hair playfully. "My little brother, all grown up and taking my place."

"It's only a temporary thing sis." He reminded her. "Mom and dad may be talking to me again, but I really want things to be back how they were."

"It'll get there." Mia assured him. "And hey, with Samurai Ranger on your resume, that has to earn you a few points with them."

"It's just a shame I can't put that on my CV for when I start looking for work for real." He chuckled. Just then, Emily and Mike came in, beaming broadly.

"Hey Terry, Mentor just called. He wants us to pick him up." Mike told him. "He says he's finished his new security symbol, so he wants to hit Kieran's place, and then he'll come back here. Want to come?"

"Uh...sure?" He asked. Mike tossed him the keys to the SUV.

"By the way, you're driving." Mike informed him. "We figure it'll help you get a little more familiar with this area of the city."

"Well, as long as we have Sat-Nav..."

"Yeah, Antonio hooked that up." Emily interrupted him, taking his arm. She noticed the peas. "I see Mia showed you my trick."

"Yeah, she explained that." Terry answered as they guided him from the house. Mia put the peas away, and heard the SUV starting up before suddenly a thought struck her.

"Kevin?" She called out. Kevin came into the room, coming to her side.

"You called?" He asked in a light-hearted tone, before looking to her arm. "Are you hurt? Do you need...?"

"My brother's a med student, I'm sure he could have handled it if I did." She interrupted him. "Is Jayden here?"

"Yeah." Kevin told her. "Why?"

"Mike and Emily went to collect Mentor, they took Terry with them." She explained. "Jayden, Antonio, me, you...we all have Drivers' licences. Any of us could have gone. So why did they take Terry?"

"I'm sure they just want to make him feel..." His words tailed off as he finally cottoned onto what Mia was thinking. "You think...?"

"They wanted him out of the house." She answered. She could remember Antonio, Mike and Emily saying something about hazing Terry, before going off somewhere to plot. The three of them were all a little childish at times, but when they put their heads together, it was like they all egged each other on and things could spiral a little out of control. They were a really bad influence on each other whenever they got into the mood for mischief. "Where's Antonio?"

They were about to run off in search of the Gold Ranger, almost running into him in the corridor. He had a little smirk on his face as he stood there. Mia approached him.

"What did you do?" She just asked him.

"It's kind of late; I've done a lot today." Antonio replied. "You'll have to be a little more specific."

"What did you do to Terry?" She asked him. Antonio gave her the little smile she hated, the one that made him look as innocent as a puppy standing next to a freshly stained carpet.

"I have no idea what you mean." He answered as he walked away.

"Aright, that definitely isn't good." Kevin stated, holding his fiancée tightly. "I guess we get to find out what they're planning soon enough."

Back at the synagogue, Mr Berkowsky and Mal had finished having their say, and currently Mrs Berkowsky had the floor. Melanie couldn't help felling a little like she was on trial after what Mr Berkowsky had to say. It was like they had all talked about her like she wasn't even there, first with Mr Berkowsky reminding everyone what she had done, and all but accusing her of taking his son away. Mal had spoken up for her, saying that she hadn't done anything to make Mal leave, that it was his decision to leave the house to get some space.

Mrs Berkowsky seemed a little more conflicted on the issue. She was with her husband, but she seemed to have a lot less of a judgemental tone to her voice when she spoke. She just wanted her family back together, and clearly having her husband and her son fighting was upsetting to her.

"I know what you went through, and I'm sympathetic, really I am." Mrs Berkowsky told Melanie. "The only thing that concerns me is my son's welfare."

"Your son..."

"Please Melanie; you will have your chance to speak soon." Sam assured her. "Esther, if you will please explain."

"I know it hasn't been easy for you, but I don't know if you realise what this did to Malcolm, how much what he saw troubled him." She told her honestly. "For days afterwards, he didn't sleep through the night. He had nightmares about what he had seen. He had trouble eating, he was quiet...I tried to talk to him, but he just wouldn't say anything about it."

Melanie held Mal's hand and looked to him apologetically. She knew that he couldn't have seen what he had without being affected, but he had never told her how much it had upset him. Likely, he had kept it to himself because he didn't want her to feel guilty while she was recovering, fearful of anything that would make her feel down while she tried to come back from that place emotionally.

"You seem like a nice enough girl, but you have to understand that I don't want to see Malcolm go through anything like that again." She continued. "I know I probably don't have the right to ask Malcolm not to see you anymore, or to ask you to stay away. All I ask is that you can tell me honestly that if Malcolm were to keep seeing her, that you would never do anything like that again."

"Esther!" Mr Berkowsky barked, hearing her say this. "This girl..."

"This girl has a right to speak; we've heard what you had to say David." Sam reminded him. "Now, you will respect..."

"But she...!"

"Yes, what she did may be against our beliefs, but I am here to mediate, NOT to act as your back-up as you berate her!" Sam said sternly. He looked to David. "If you will not respect her, you will respect me, and where you are. Not doing so would also be against your beliefs would it not?"

David just backed down reluctantly. He was in the synagogue, and Sam was a Rabbi. He wouldn't dream of disrespecting that. He settled into his chair, and gestured to Melanie to speak. She got up nervously and looked around them.

"Um...you know what I did, so I'd really rather not go over that again." She began weakly. "Mr Berkowsky, I know that your religion says what I did is wrong, and I respect that. I just wanted to explain that at the time, I really wasn't thinking rationally. If I was, I wouldn't have done it."

She looked to Mrs Berkowsky.

"As I said to you earlier, it's the dumbest thing I've ever done, and I'll always be grateful to Mal for being there and stopping me. I owe him my life."

She held Mal's hand tightly and kept looking to Esther, trying hard not to tear up.

"I owe him my life, I owe him more than I'll ever be able to repay. I also care about him a great deal, and I would never want him to hurt because of me." She told them all. She breathed a deep sigh. "I really hope you don't ask it of me, but if you don't believe me when I say that I will never do anything like that again, if you truly believe that I would ever make him feel like that again...I'll respect your wishes and stop seeing him."

"Melanie..."

"Mal, I don't want to, but I owe you so much, I can't let you lose your family because of me." She told him. "I don't want to lose you from my life. But if that's the only thing I can do to repay you, then I'll do it."

Sam just sat forward in his seat and looked around the room.

"I think there is one thing that is true of everyone in this room." He began. "It is clear you all care for Malcolm, and want what is best for him."

He looked to Melanie and smiled.

"I have to commend you for your bravery young lady." He complimented her warmly. "You came to this place, despite not being of our faith, and you spoke with such feeling about what he means to you. It could not have been easy."

He then looked to Malcolm.

"Melanie did say something that struck me." Sam told him. "You saved a life, that is not something just anyone can do. I am proud of you."

"So am I." Esther chipped in.

"For what it's worth Melanie, with how emotionally you talked about it, I am convinced you are telling the truth when you say that it was a mistake that you will not repeat." He said reassuringly. "We are all entitled to mistakes; even those of staunch faith are not above making mistakes."

He looked to David, who just sighed.

"Malcolm, I am proud of you. I always was." He assured him. He then looked to Melanie. She shuffled a little uncomfortably.

"I can't deny that I don't like what you did, or what it did to Malcolm." He told her. "But as I have been reminded, that isn't what matters. What matters is that my son's happiness."

"So..."

"I'm not happy with this," he continued as he approached her, "but I am not willing to lose my son over it either. What matters is we all care for Malcolm."

"So, you mean..."

"If you want to remain friends, I doubt there is much I can do about that." Mr Berkowsky stated, looking to his son. "The fact he was willing to leave home shows that he knows what he wants, and is willing to take a stand for it."

With that, he hugged his son. Melanie watched as Mrs Berkowsky joined in, backing away a little. Sam looked to her and smiled.

"I meant it you know." He told her. "You were brave to come here."

"I did it for Mal." She assured him with a smile. "He's worth it."


	11. Hazing the New Guy

Terry was at the wheel, of the SUV, while Mike and Emily whispered in the back seat, holding each other softly. It was a little wearing for Terry, but he knew from al his sister's text messages to expect this from them. He drew up outside the apartment building, at which Mentor Ji came out with more than a little spring in his step.

"Someone looks happy." Emily commented. Mentor Ji just gave her a warning glare to drop the subject as he strapped himself in, before Terry punched in the next address.

Over at Cody's place, Serena was incredibly pleased with the progress of her students. Despite her weeks-long absence, it seemed that Kieran and Emily had done admirably as stand-ins. Spike and Bulk were still a step behind Cody, something that was hardly surprising considering the fact that Kieran had likely been training his son for years, but it was still great to see them all doing so well.

As they were dismissed, she saw the SUV pulling up, and Terry got out, making his way towards her. She snapped up her shinai, holding the point of it just by his throat.

"Um...I guess you're Serena?" He asked nervously.

"Fine, we have one name. Who are you?" She snapped.

"I'm Terry." He told her. "Mia's brother?"

Before he knew what was happening, Serena smacked him in the gut with the shinai, doubling him over, before snatching him in a painful arm-lock. She stepped on the back of his neck, forcing his face to the ground, and grinding it into the dirt, with all of her body-weight above it.

"Mia doesn't have a brother!" She snapped.

"She does!" Terry rushed out. "I can prove it...I don't know how but..."

"Mia, it's cool!" Mike replied, chuckling as he got out the SUV with Ji and Emily. "He's telling the truth, he is Mia's baby brother."

Serena stepped off him and relaxed her grip, allowing him to stand, but didn't release her grip on the shinai. She just stared at him as Ji went into the house to talk to Kieran about the security symbol.

"Um...sorry I didn't introduce myself properly?" Terry offered hopefully. Serena just looked behind him, seeing that Mike and Emily were in stitches about the display. Serena just looked to him and smiled.

"You have real problems here." She said, nodding in their direction. Terry smiled.

"Oh, you'd think so." He answered. "But I can give as good as I get."

Ji came out, a moment later, helped by Kieran, who was holding him up. They all knew that symbol power was draining, so obviously it was taking a great deal of effort from Ji's part. Terry and Serena were closest, so they took him, propping themselves under his arms.

"I just need to lie down..."

"It's fine Ji." Serena whispered. "You protected the apartment and here. The Shiba House has a bunch of Rangers to protect it."

"Please, just get me home." Ji murmured wearily. "I need to lie down."

As they dragged him across the lawn, Mike leaned into Emily.

"Alright, is it all ready?" He asked. She just nodded before returning with him to the SUV.

Back at the Shiba House, Jayden and Antonio were just sitting watching a movie, one of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, enjoying one of the few quiet moments in the Shiba House to just be by themselves. Jayden had his arm around Antonio, while the Gold Ranger rested his head against his shoulder, with a contented smile. Nothing could ruin this moment. Well...almost nothing. It was that exact moment when Mia came stomping into the room with Kevin in tow. She grabbed Antonio by the hair, and he was only just quick enough to grab her wrist for support so she wouldn't rip his hair right out his scalp. He screamed in pain as she dragged him into the middle of the room, forcing him to his knees.

"What the hell...?"

"What are you going to do to Terry?" She screamed at him. Kevin just held her shoulders and looked to Jayden apologetically. They had talked for a while, and Mia knew that they wouldn't deliberately hurt Terry, but after a little while, knowing her brother was alone with Emily and Mike, she was starting to become worried about what they would do to him.

"I'm doing nothing!" Antonio squealed. Mia tightened her grip on his hair, a tough thing to do considering all the gel he used, bus forced him to touch his forehead to the floor.

"If my brother gets hurt..."

"He won't I swear!" Antonio squealed in agony. Mia just let him go before leaving. Kevin apologised, half-heartedly at best considering the fact he was certain that Antonio knew what was coming, and left with her. Jayden just crossed his arms and looked to him with a death-glare.

"So, what did you do?" Jayden asked him.

"I'll tell you..."

"No!" Jayden stated, moving away as Antonio tried to touch him. He glared at him defiantly. "Tell me what you did."

"Nothing yet." Antonio assured him. As he tried to kiss Jayden though, the Red Ranger pulled away.

"That's not good enough." He answered. "I want to know what you did."

"Alright, I'll let you in." Antonio sighed. "But you have to swear this remains between us."

As Terry took a turn, guided by the sat-nav, Emily and Mike were sitting happily, though suspiciously quietly in the back seat, Ji was there, pretty much just sleeping, while Serena was propping him up with her shoulder. Although she had enjoyed not having to travel to Cody's place for her lessons with Spike and Bulk, she did somewhat miss the chaos of the Shiba house, and knowing that Kieran and Cody were now protected by the stronger security symbols, she was only too happy to be going back.

Just then, there was a bleep and a large, red dot appeared on the sat-nav.

"Um...guys?" He stammered out nervously.

"Antonio wired the sensors into the sat-nav." Mike told him. "Follow it."

Terry did as he was told, coming into a town square a little way off. He was surprised to find little activity...in fact no activity...at all!

"Uh guys, I think this thing might be on the fritz." Terry told them, tapping the sat-nav, which insisted there was a Nighlock there. "It's..."

Just then, a couple of Moogers appeared. Terry, Mike and Emily all bailed out, at which Serena remained to keep watch over the barely-conscious Ji. The three of them morphed, before ploughing into the Moogers with their Spin Swords. Serena could only watch as Serrator appeared.

Every intrinsic in her willed her, begged her to just drop Ji and run straight for Serrator, to take Kasamune and drive it straight through his heart, presuming he even had one, and watch as he slowly fell to his knees before her, his life ebbing away painfully in retribution for what he had done to Stephen. However, she couldn't get the words of her most recent lessons out of her head as she cradled Ji's prone body. There were more important things than revenge, to leave would mean she left Ji unattended, and in no state to fight. It would be a selfish thing to do, and one that would potentially cost the safety of yet another person she cared about. She just watched on, but clutched the hilt of Kasamune in case it was needed.

Terry powered through the Moogers with ease. While he had to admit sacrificing a training session or two when he left town with Aaron's band, he was more than happy to see that he was holding his own. It was then that he heard a scream and turned to see what was going on. To his horror, five Moogers were holding Mike in place, snarling and protesting for all he was worth, while another held Emily on her knees, forcing her head into a bowed position.

"Now, Pink Ranger." Serrator stated in his usual, dry drawl. "I know you're new to all this, so I'll explain the rules. Choose which one dies!"

He looked to the SUV, seeng Serena struggling with the door. The child locks were on, meaning she couldn't open the doors. It was all up to him. He sighed and looked to the ground.

"It's like triage, you prioritise who's in the most immediate danger." He commented as he opened a Sky Fan behind his back. "Unfortunately, I'm not willing to lose any patients today!"

He launched a Sky Fan at the Moogers holding Mike, destroying them utterly. He was far more intent on Serrator, and launched himself at the Nighlock, tackling him away from Emily.

As he rolled back to his feet, Terry called up a Spin Sword, and parried an aggressive swipe. He fought for a moment, figuring out why exactly everyone was so scared of Serrator. The Nighlock shoved him away, at which Terry turned and ran for a wall. Serrator followed him, but terry ran up it and flipped over his head, swiping straight through his waist.

Serrator just turned to face him, looking like he was going to come out with some clever insult, but instead...all that happened was he started to glow with light. He exploded, showering Terry with a thick, pink goo. It forced him to de-morh, and he was left, kneeling on the pavement, coated in the stuff. He heard laughter, following which a hand slapped onto his shoulder.

"Dude, you are SO the Pink Ranger!" Mike commented as he and Emily made their way back to the vehicle. Terry just spat some of the pink goo out of his mouth.

A little while later, they were all at the Shiba House, were Emily and Mike were regaling the others with the joke they had played on Terry. Ji had been taken to his room to rest, while Serena just remained stony silent as they laughed and joked.

"And here's the best part!" Mike stated. "It's not over yet!"

Just then, Terry walked in, with his hair, eyebrows and eyelashes dyed a shocking, bubble-gum pink. He was wearing a neon-pink t-shirt and matching denims.

"Alright, which one of you messed with my clothes?" He said, with a slight note of amusement in his tone. Antonio raised his hand.

"They're all dyed with Symbol Power." He informed him. "It'll wear off after a day or two."

"Just like what that gunk did to your hair." Emily added.

"I guess you really are the Pink Ranger now." Mike giggled. Terry though, just smiled in response.

"Yeah, you got me." He replied. "Of course, you know, this means war."

As he turned and left the room, Mia just held her face in her hands and shook her head in a defeated manner while the others laughed. It was Kevin that noticed first, holding her closely.

"What, it was kind of funny." He stated. "A little off but..."

"You have no idea what you've just started." Mia put down flatly, at which the laugher stopped. "You've just poked the bear."

"Mia, it was just..."

"Yeah, it was a hazing prank, I get it." She told them. "But there's something you need to know about my brother. He's more than a bit of a prankster himself."

"Yeah, like that scares us." Antonio chuckled. Mia just looked to him seriously.

"He was kicked out of one elementary school and two high schools because of his pranks." She informed them. It was then that she smiled and stood up. "Of course, you DID mess with my baby bother. I WOULD go all big sister and get on your case, but I think Terry will have better plans for revenge in mind."

As she left, Kevin got up with her and put an arm around her. She just looked to the others and smiled.

"Have fun for now." She told them. "You have no idea what you just started."

With that ominous warning, she just left the others in the room to contemplate what they had done, and wonder how exactly Terry would get his own back.

Over at her place, at that moment though, Brenda answered the door to the guy bringing her dinner. It was an accomplishment in itself that she would actually answer her door, before she even considered the fact a lot of people were now reluctant to come to her door. The story about the incident with the UPS guy she pepper-sprayed had circulated, and so few were willing to take the chance. It did have its fringe benefits though, the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Mormons, and the people who used to stick marketing flyers through her door at seemingly all hours were now a lot less frequent. No doubt because there were few people that wanted to risk annoying the nut-job with the pepper-spray.

As she sat down at the table and ripped open the carton though, she just looked at the food she had ordered. She just looked...and looked...and looked...before getting up and running hell-for-leather straight to the bathroom and hurled into the bowl.

She continued to hurl for what seemed like hours, before finally stopping and flushing it away. She ran the sink and scooped up some water in her hands, slurping it as she tried to compose herself. Given the nature of her job, being a health inspector, she was always analytical about such things, and she started to run through the possibilities.

Many food poisoning bacteria would incubate for about three-to-four days, so she tried to think what she had done. She had spent a couple of days at the Shiba House, but that only meant she had eaten everything they had. If she was sick, then they would be too.

She then thought about that day in particular. She hadn't had lunch, only breakfast at the Shiba House. She hadn't eaten anything the others hadn't.

As she went to the phone to call Ji and check on them, she heard the ring-tone and waited. It was only then that her eyes met the kitten calendar that her secret-Santa had bought her for the office sweep. As she heard a click, and a voice on the other end, the phone slipped out of her hand and fell on the floor. She was just staring at the calendar.

"Shit!"

FIN

**A/N:** The end of this story, but don't worry, there WILL be more!


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